Dawn of the Phoenix
by Naitch03
Summary: FINISHED! When Dawn is kidnapped by her own father, it's up to Buffy and the Council to pull out all of the stops to save her. But can they find her before a rising power turns her against them? BTVSeventual HP crossover wOC
1. History of the World Part 1

**Dawn of the Phoenix**

**By: The Nature Boy Drew Niehaus**

(Very Poor) Summary:

A year after the defeat of the First, Buffy and the gang settle down in Chicago. But when Hank Summers suddenly resurfaces and takes Dawn away, Buffy and the Council will need to pull out all of the stops to bring her home.

Featuring characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Harry Potter. Featuring original characters created by the author.

**Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. Characters from the Harry Potter Universe are the property of J.K. Rowling and her brain. The 4 Horsemen, Devil's Brigade, and all subsequently created characters are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.**

**SPOILERS: Buffy season's 1-7, Angel Season's 1-5, Harry Potter through OOTP.**

And so begins my new story. This is an alternate universe, so NO Stargate present. This is my re-envisioning of how Buffy and the NEW Council meet the Devil's Brigade, or Horsemen. This takes place post-Chosen and post –Not Fade Away. But first, a little background-

I created The Horsemen characters (Originally and occasionally still called The Devil's Brigade) back in '96 or '97, and have a trilogy with their story already mapped out in my mind. This is why the background for the Horsemen in this story is so similar to the background I gave to the Horsemen in **_Shadow Play_**- it's all a part of the original trilogy, which I may get around to actually writing soon. Around season 4 of Buffy, I incorporated my characters into the Buffy-verse, and have kept them there ever since. Recently, I've gotten into Harry Potter, and I got an idea for another crossover that I wanted to write. HOWEVER, I realized I couldn't write THAT story without first officially introducing my characters to the Buffy characters.

Enter this story.

I came up with this story at work, and managed to map it out over 4 hours. It won't be very long- probably 10 chapters at most. And it will set up the characters for the sequel **The Light Brigade** and the final part of the trilogy, **Chi-town Rumble.** Many people don't like reading stories with original characters, but I am asking you to give this a shot and at least review a few chapters. I plan on someday writing professionally, and I need any feedback I can get to help me become a better writer.

There will be no real relationships in this story except for the ones that were present in the shows- Willow/Kennedy, Wes/Fred-Illyria. Faith and Robin broke it off and now have a very brother-sister relationship which will play into the next story.

For more thoughts or feelings, visit my Live Journal, under users/naitch03. For now, on to the show!

Final Author's Note: This story is setting up the Potter crossover, but actual Potterverse characters will not be present in this story until the final chapter. Certain words, phrases, or concepts will be making sporadic appearances, though.

**Chapter 1: History of the World: Part 1**

**Buffy's POV**

Oh, god. I can't believe this is happening.

It seems like only yesterday that Dawn was asking me "What are we gonna do?" after we escaped from the collapsing Hellmouth. The First was history, there were potentially hundreds of active Slayers...we could do anything we wanted.

So we all split up. Willow and Kennedy went to Rio. Andrew went with Giles to England to start with rebuilding the council. Faith and Wood went to Cleveland to watch over the new Hellmouth and help train any Slayers that they found. Xander decided to wander around the country as he grieved for Anya. The potentials...no, Slayers, scattered to the winds- some headed home, others just wandered the country, helping out when they could. And I took Dawn to Rome, where she attended her sophomore year in a Grecian school and I dated a hunk who called himself The Immortal.

After almost a year had passed, Andrew showed up to tell us about the status of the new council. Giles had decided to learn from the original Councils many mistakes- as soon as Willow freed up the Council's vast amount of funds, Giles purchased several buildings and hundreds of acres of land all over the world. He had the London Council building rebuilt and made it the main headquarters for our overseas branch that dealt with Slayers from all over Europe. In the States, he bought land in New York, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Chicago- thereby spreading our forces out across the country and keeping a strong force on the new Hellmouth. Our American HQ is in Chicago- a major metropolitan city in the middle of the country that makes traveling to either LA or New York a simple enough matter. As soon as the new HQ was set up- located at the old University of Chicago campus, which was put up for sale when a new, modern campus was built a few miles away- the old gang showed up to take residence. Xander came back first and started on major renovations, replacing the Skywalk, refitting the main class buildings to hold work out areas, retrofitting the science labs with the latest equipment. Shortly after Willow, Kennedy, Dawn and myself came back, we learned of a disruption in LA- Angel was in trouble. Putting our feelings about him running Wolfram and Hart aside, we, along with about 50 Slayers, went to LA to rescue him. It was a terrific battle- apparently, Angel had managed to thoroughly piss off the Senior Partners by killing the people who were doing their works on this plane. They had sent an army to kill him off once and for all, and when we arrived it was Angel, Spike(?!), and two others- one who was badly wounded, and the other who sent off my Slayer senses right away. But she was fighting with them, so I let her be. The slayers and I saved Angel's butt (I even got to help him slay a dragon!) and we invited them all back to Chicago with us. Andrew found Wesley's body, but was surprised to find him still (barely) alive and rushed him to a hospital. We had him transferred to the Slayer HQ as soon as our infirmary was up and running, and the weird blue-haired chick (Angel told me her name was Illyria and, apparently, she was an Old One) never left his side while the former Watcher convalesced.

New Slayers came to us to be trained, and they were put up in the dormitories, while the senior staff was housed in the old Office tower that was refitted with apartments. Dawn loved the view from our apartment- we were three floors from the top, so she could look out over the city everyday.

Three days ago Dawn and I went to the Watertower to do some serious shopping. Everything was going great until we split up- me going to a sporting goods store to pick up something for Faith, who just came into town, and Dawn to a clothing store the next level up. I agreed to go up and meet her after 20 minutes, and we parted ways. 20 minutes later, I was riding up the escalator when I saw a site that made my blood freeze. My father- excuse me _absentee _father, Hank Summers, was dragging Dawn towards the stairwell. I'm not so sure what shocked me more- the fact that Hank was forcible dragging my sister through a crowded mall, away from me, or the fact that Hank was here at all. Hell, he didn't even remember my birthday for the last two years, and didn't even bother to contact me when my mom died. For the past few years, as far as I was concerned, Giles was my real father- Hank was just the guy that got my mom pregnant. So I see Hank dragging Dawn to the stairwell, and I sprint up the remaining stairs and dash towards them. I briefly lost site as they entered the stairwell, but I figure, no problem- I'll just catch them on the way down. So I burst through the door-

And the stairwell is empty. They had disappeared. I searched up and down, but there was nobody there.

To say I was frantic would be an understatement. I ran to mall security and told them my sister had been abducted. I gave a statement to the police when they came. I called Giles and told him what happened. And I spent a restless night walking the city, looking for any signs of my sister. The next day, we waited to hear from the police.

Instead, we heard from our old friends at Wolfram and Hart, now under new management.

They showed up at the council the next day with a signed affidavit, stating that Hank Summers now had sole custody of his daughter, Dawn Summers. Apparently, that bastard of a father hired them to help him gain custody of his youngest daughter, which the courts, for some reason, granted. Knowing that I would never allow her to be taken, Wolfram & Hart decided to take her when I wasn't around to avoid complications. The only reason they bothered to show up at all was to gather Dawn's remaining personal items so she could have them in her new life with her dad.

We got a letter from them the next day, stating their intention to sue us for personal injuries sustained when I threw their asses through the plate glass window in the lobby out into the courtyard.

The police couldn't help us- technically, since Hank has sole custody (along with a court order preventing me from seeing my sister), they have no authority to interfere. Once upon a time, the Council had the power to help, but we don't have the government contacts yet to make anything substantial happen. I was so depressed, I was on the verge of giving up, and taking another lunge off a high tower to my death.

But then Kennedy told me about a local detective agency that her family had used in the past, one that specialized in going up against players like Wolfram and Hart and, apparently, my dad. She told me they had a very good tract record and, since nothing else would work, we might as well give it a shot. So that is how I found myself sitting here, in a surprisingly nice office, considering the rather shabby exterior of the building we are in, looking at a guy that can't be too much older than me, and hoping this kid can help me get my sister back. Because if they can't, I don't know what I'll do.

**Dawn's POV**

At first I was surprised. Then angry. Then scared.

My father shows up all of the sudden, and demands that I come with him. Says he's got sole custody of me now, because Buffy isn't responsible enough to take care of a 16 year old girl. Says he's gonna take me away, and everything will be all better.

I just laughed at him. 'At least Buffy was around for me,' I told him. 'At least she didn't fly off to Spain to bang her secretary.' He didn't like that. So he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the store, into a stairwell where a man in funny robes was waiting for him. He grabbed both of us, and suddenly we were in an office building. I knew instantly what had just happened.

We had teleported.

More to the point, my dad had teleported, and he wasn't freaking out. Actually, he was quite calm. I knew in that moment that something was wrong, so I did what I do best-

I screamed my head off. At least until someone bludgeoned me over the head with something heavy.

A couple of hours later, I woke up in a small, dark room. No furniture, no windows. A voice had told me that Buffy had brainwashed me, and that I was here for 'deprogramming.' The voice told me it would be a long, hard, and painful process. I told the voice where he could stick it. That was two days ago.

I didn't have any company for two whole days. I also didn't get any food or water, so when they slid a cup of water in through the meal slot on the door, I drank it down greedily. A few minutes later, I was loopy on the drugs they had slipped into it. I found that I couldn't move my arms or legs, and I could barely hold my head up. So I could offer no resistance when the door opened and the elderly doctor came walking in.

He looked to be in his late sixties, with thinning grey hair on top of his wrinkled old face. He gave her a cruel smile.

"Hello dear. Are you ready to begin your deprogramming?"

Dawn glared at the man. "I don't NEED any deprogramming!" She snarled. "I just want to go back to my sister!"

The doctor clucked his tongue. "You see, THIS is what I'm talking about." He said. "She has poisoned your mind against your father, and made herself out to be some sort of perennial saint! This is brainwashing at it's worse. But fear not, little one. I think I can save you." At this point he brought his hand out from behind his back- it was holding a syringe. "You see, there are certain things that can help break brainwashing. Take pain, for example. You put the mind through enough pain, and it sort of resets itself. Makes it so much easier for you to separate the facts from the fictions." With that, he stabs the needle into my neck and depresses the plunger.

I wince at the pain of the needles intrusion. "If you think that stabbing me with a needle is going to...cause...me....pain...." I suddenly realize that it wasn't the needle I should have been worried about, it was what he shot into my system. I start to feel a burning in my veins, moving throughout my body. "No...." I manage to get out before red-hot lava is flowing through my body. The pain is beyond intense; I feel like I'm being incinerated from the inside out.

My screams echoed down the hall for hours, until my throat is raw and I couldn't scream anymore. Soon, I was lying in a heap on the floor, coiled up into a fetal position. The doctor promised to come see me the next night to continue my treatments, then left the room. That was last night, and now I can hear him coming down the hall, ready to start the treatment again.

Buffy, where are you?

The doctor opens the door.

Oh, god. Please help me.

**End Intro**

To be continued in History of the World, Part II: Jews in Space!

(Chapter title subject to re-naming on Author's whim.)

Feedback is always appreciated!


	2. History of the World Part 2

Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.

**History of the World Part II**

Buffy was scared.

She didn't want to be scared. She didn't LIKE being scared. But she was. Scared for her sister. Scared fro her family. And scared that her last resort for tracking Dawn down would turn her away.

I mean, you'd think a place like the Council could find anybody anywhere. But the sad fact is that, even two years later, the Council wasn't as powerful as it used to be. Giles and Wood had worked tirelessly in trying to rebuild the connections the old Council had had with various governments and agencies, but it was slow, tedious work. Especially since the same agencies that had supported the old Council were hesitant to sign on with a group that had literally hundreds of super-powered girls working for them. Go figure.

So Buffy had taken Kennedy's suggestion and contacted the small detective agency, and had spent the last hour retelling the story of how Dawn had been taken from her. And then she prayed that he would take the case because, quite frankly, he was their last hope. But she could tell by the look on the young detective's face that he was seriously thinking of not taking it. She just hoped that, in the end, she could convince him to.

Andrew Kirk looked over the young woman sitting across from him as he called up several files on his computer. Files for both Hank and Buffy Summers popped up on the dual screen set up. Kirk raised an eyebrow at what he saw. Hank's file was about two pages long. Buffy's was...quite a bit longer.

"Ms. Summers, I'm not one to beat around the bush, so I'll get right to the point." Kirk stated. "What we have here is, quite plain and simply, a custody battle. Now, in most cases, the courts will award custody of a minor to the surviving parent, if he or she is seen fit by the courts."

"But he ISN"T fit!" Buffy interrupted, a hint of separation crawling into her voice. "He barely remembered to send me birthday cards, and he sent them to Dawn even less! When my Mom died, **I** was the one who took care of Dawn. **I** was the one who got a crap job at a fast food joint to pay the bills! My _father,"_ she spat the word out, "never ONCE showed up, sent money, or even attempted to call! He was to busy screwing his secretary in Spain!"

Kirk nodded at what she had just said. "Maybe so, but you have to look at the bigger picture." He began. "Your father, while inattentive at the best and downright deserting at the worst, has a steady job as a partner in a major financial company, has a steady high-level income, and, above all else, has NO criminal history whatsoever. You, on the other hand..." Kirk looked at his computer again as Buffy squirmed. "Let's see... suspicions of Arson, breaking and entering, theft, assault, not one, but TWO attempted murders, though both charges were dropped due to lack of sufficient evidence, or a body in one case; assaulting a police officer- that's one of my favorites;" he said sarcastically, "Ms. Summers, the list goes on and on. The courts look at stuff like that and, compared to you, your father is the parent of the freakin' year!"

Buffy looked at the detective unblinkingly. She knew she had one chance to convince him to help her out. "I have one thing that my father doesn't have."

Kirk started right back at the young woman. "And what is that?"

"I love Dawn more than life itself." Buffy replied. "I would die for her. And I'll bet anything that my dear father wouldn't say that."

Kirk looked at the woman with a steely gaze. Than his face softened. "I believe you, Ms. Summers."

Buffy blinked. "You do?"

Kirk chuckled. "Yes, I do. I believed that from the moment you walked into my office. And unlike some people, I don't hold a person's past against them. I would be that last person to do that."

Buffy breathe a sigh of relief. _He believes me, he believes me_. She kept repeating in her mind.

"However, that doesn't change the fact that this is a custody case, and we rarely take those." he held up a hand to stop her protest. "I said rarely, not never. I see how torn up this has you. So, if the courts can't help you, than I will. Here is what I'll do.

"I'll go talk to Mr. Summers." He continued. "I'll get his side of the story. I'll also demand to see Dawn to see if she's been mistreated in any way. If I find signs of abuse, I'll take her away right then and there."

"You could do that?" Buffy asked, slightly confused. "I didn't realize private detective agency's had that kind of power..."

"They don't." Kirk replied with a smile. "But the Department of Children's Services does. In the meantime, I want you to go back home and get some rest. Go be with your friends. Hell, go in to work, try to keep your mind occupied. Just make sure that you're in one piece so your sister has someone to go back to when this is all over and done." He ended seriously.

Buffy managed a weak smile and nod. "Thank you, Mr. Kirk. Ummm, just one question, though...how much is this going to cost? Not that I don't have money," she added quickly, thinking of the Council's very deep pockets. "I have more than enough to support Dawn and myself. I just want to know..."

Kirk laughed. "Ms. Summers, I am the LAST person you want to talk money with...you should see how much I've spent on my car." He grinned, thinking of his 'new' Mustang. "But I'll send you on over to James- he handles all of the money issues around here. And in the meantime, I'll start preparing for my meeting with your father." He came out from behind his desk and shook her hand. "And I assure you that, if Dawn is being mistreated in any way, she will be back with you as soon as possible."

Buffy smiled warmly at the young detective. "Thank you, Mr. Kirk. And please, just call me Buffy."

"All right, Buffy," he replied as he led her out the door. "James' office is right over there. Just go on over, and he'll be out to greet you in a moment."

They both shook hands and Buffy headed over to the other office. Kirk closed his door and moved back behind his desk. He hit the page button to James' phone.

"Hey, James?"

"Yes Captain, what can I do for you?" came the reply in James' British accent.

"There's a young lady at your door asking about payment. It's a custody case, low maintenance. I'll be handling it personally."

"Right then." James replied. "I take it that means this will be a charity case?"

"Possible child abduction and abuse." Kirk replied.

"I see," James said. "Not to worry, then. I got just the payment plan- nothing with a down payment of nothing."

"And that's why you handle the books." Kirk said with a grin before disconnecting the Lieutenant. Kirk then paged Lisa.

"Lisa, you there?"

"No sir, I'm not here." came the sarcastic, but warm, reply. "I'm in this beautiful world with purple clouds and pink elephants..."

"Told you to lay of the drugs," Kirk retorted. "Well, since you're not doing anything, give me the bible on Hank Summers."

"You got it, boss." Lisa replied with a serious tone. Kirk paused before he disconnected, then added one more thing.

"Also give me the bible on Buffy and Dawn Summers as well." He said as he cut off the connection, knowing that Lisa was already hard at work. "Might as well cover all the angles.

Kirk had read up on Hank Summers for the rest of the previous day. He seemed to be an unremarkable man with an unremarkable life. The only real blemishes on his records were some poor financial dealings that seemed to have been rectified, and his abandonment of his children. But for Kirk, that last one was enough for him. He couldn't stand deadbeat dads. Or abusive parents.

Andrew Kirk hated abusive parents, and child abuse even less. It was an odd quirk Kirk had, and one could say that he really had no reason for it. He had been raised by loving, attentive parents until his sixteenth birthday, when they were killed in a terrorist attack on their airplane as they flew home from their second honeymoon. All of his friends had parents that loved and cared for them. In fact, the only person he had ever known that had an abusive parent was his adopted daughter, Miriam. And that situation had been taken care of.

Andrew Kirk was an odd person all together. One glance at his messy dark hair and lean face would make you think he was nothing more than a college student. But one only needed to look into his piercing brown eyes to see the wealth of experience the young man had had. Indeed, he had experienced more, and suffered more, in 27 years than most people had experienced in a lifetime. Maybe that was the reason for his quirks- in all of his travels, in all of the missions he had participated in, he had seen the kind of pain a parent could bestow upon their children. And he had vowed that no child would suffer the kind of pain he had seen as long as he could help it.

And hopefully, Kirk would find out if Hank was causing any pain in just a few minutes.

Hank's office was in the One Financial Place in downtown Chicago. Kirk pulled in to the visitors parking lot in Elanore.

Kirk's love for all things old had always extended into cars. So when he got his bonus on the last mission, he went out and tracked down the one car he had always wanted- the 1969 Shelby Mustang GT-500. He had spent the past few months in between cases working on the car, rebuilding and restoring it. And next to his family, it was the one thing he loved above all others.

Oh, sure. His team teased him mercilessly about it. It was the reason he was no longer in charge of the books. But he loved it all the same.

Kirk entered the building and took the elevator up to the 42nd floor. Exiting, he found The office he was looking for:

Summers Financial Group

He entered through the glass doors and walked over to the receptionist's desk. He made a mental note of the receptionist- _Blond, blue eyes, early to mid twenties...Freud, eat your heart out._ He chuckled silently as he stopped in front of her desk.

"Hi." Kirk said to the receptionist. "I need to speak to Mr. Summers immediately. Is he in?"

"He's in a meeting now, may I ask who you are?" she replied coolly. Kirk flashed his badge quickly.

"Andrew Kirk, DCF." Kirk replied. "Could you kindly tell him that he has another appointment now?"

The receptionist paged Hank while Kirk stood looking around the office, noting the usual decor. Financial magazines were neatly stacked on end tables that bracketed tastefully upholstered couches and chairs.

_Boring._ Kirk thought. The receptionist looked up at the young detective.

"Mr. Summers will see you now." She said plainly. Kirk smiled.

"Thank you." he replied as he headed to Hank Summer's office.

"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. Summers."

"Anything for the DCF, Mr. Kirk." Hank replied, gesturing to a chair across from his desk. "Now, what can I do for you?"

Kirk sat down in the offered chair. " I'm here because of a Ms. Dawn Summers, MR. Summers." Kirk explained. "Several complaints have been filed in regards to the way you re-obtained custody, and there are worries about her welfare. I'm here to make sure she's healthy, happy, and in good care."

"I see." Mr. Summers said, fidgeting slightly in his chair. "And these...ah…complaints, as you say, were brought against me by whom, exactly?"

"Ms. Buffy Summers." Kirk replied. He glanced down at his notes. "I'm also seeing a complaint registered by a Mr. Rupert Giles."

"Rupert Giles is a crackpot who turned my eldest daughter against me!" Hank said hotly. "It's because of him that Buffy brainwashed Dawn!"

Kirk raised an eyebrow at that. "Mr. Summers, do you seriously believe that Buffy **brainwashed** Dawn?"

"Yes, I do!" Hank spat. "The way she looked at me, the way she talked to me whenever I saw her..."

"Mr. Summers," Kirk interrupted, "You haven't seen your daughter for about 7 years. That may have something to do with the way she treated you when you snatched her from a mall!"

"I've been working hard so I could provide a life for them!" Hank shouted back. Then he took a breath to calm down. "I spent all these years away making myself successful so that when I got full custody of my children from Joyce, they could live comfortably. I never even knew Joyce had died! It was a total shock to me! And then I found out that Buffy had custody of Dawn, and I feared for the worst- surely you've seen her record! So as soon as I could I filed for full custody, and got it. But I couldn't just walk up to Buffy and say 'Sorry, Elizabeth, but I'm taking Dawn away from you.' She's violent!" Hank paused again to take a breath. "Maybe the way I took Dawn back was unusual, but I feared for my safety, as well as Dawn's."

"That's all well and good, Mr. Summers, But I'll need to speak with Dawn personally and get her..."

"I'm afraid you can't do that." Hank interrupted. Kirk looked at the man coolly.

"I'm afraid I CAN, Mr. Summers." he stated. "As a member of DCF, I have the authority to demand that you bring Dawn in for an interview at once so that I can investigate theses claims as efficiently as possible."

Hank smiled amiably. "What I meant to say, Mr. Kirk, was that Dawn will be unable to speak to you for the next two weeks, at least."

"And why is that?" Kirk asked.

"Because I have taken her to a specialist for re,er, De-programing." Hank amended quickly. Kirk took note of the slip, but did not mention it.

"And why did you feel the need to do that?" Kirk asked calmly.

"Because, as I told you, Elizabeth has poisoned her mind against me. Brainwashed her. And I mean to have that undone." Hank stood up. "Now, Mr. Kirk, I am a busy man. But I assure you that, as soon as my daughter has returned..."

"From de-programing?" Kirk interrupted, Hank nodded.

"Yes. As soon as he has returned, I'll bring her in for an interview. Agreed?"

"Very well, Mr. Summers." Kirk stated after a few moments of silence. He stood up and handed his card to the man. "Just giver that number a call, and my secretary will set things up."

And with that, Andrew Kirk turned and walked out of the office, ignoring Hank's outstretched hand.

As soon as he was sure Kirk had left the office, Hank picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"It's me." He said as the person on the other end picked up. "How's she doing?" He listened for a moment. "Good. She'll be ready on schedule?" Another pause. "Good." he said again. "Listen, there may be a problem. Buffy's been filing complaints... I KNOW that will be taken care of. But listen. I want you to find everything you can on a DCF agent named Andrew Kirk...K-I-R-K. He may be the perfect test for her. Good. Alright, goodbye." And with that, Hank hung up the phone. He sat back in his chair, and turned to look out of his window, fingers steeped in front of him.

The old doctor hung up the phone with a smile on his face. He moved to his wall and removed a painting that hid his wall safe. Unlocking it, he pulled out a small case and opened it. Inside was a silver syringe. The doctor smiled menacingly.

"Time to pay Ms. Summers a visit."

And with that, he left the office and headed for Dawns cell. Several minutes later, screams once again echoed in the halls.

Kirk got back into Elanore and hit the button for the built-in speaker phone. He auto-dialed Headquarters, and two rings later Lisa's voice sung from the speakers.

"Homeland Security Services, How may I direct your call?"

"Lisa, it's Kirk. Did you get the bibles yet?"

"Not yet, Andrew." Lisa said from the other side. "They should be ready in about an hour."

"Good. Could you connect me to Jason, please?"

"You got it boss." And with that, the annoying sounds of Muzak filled the car. A few moments later, his 2IC picked up.

"Jason Dodge." he stated plainly in his slight southern twang. "What can I do for you?"

"Jason, it's Kirk."

"What's up boss?" Jason asked.

"We're taking the case." Kirk replied. "I want everybody working on this. Put the Raynard case on hold. Dawn Summers is officially missing and considered to be in grave danger. I want her found ASAP."

"Understood." Jason replied, all business. "I get right on it. Should I call Ms. Summers the elder?"

"Negative. I'm going to go tell her in person. Can you upload her address to my laptop?"

"No prob. Turns out she works where she lives. Some place called The Council. And guess where that is?"

"Where?"

"The old UIC campus."

"Sweet." Kirk said. "I know exactly where that is."

"So I guess you'll be hitting the nitrous?" Jason joked. Kirk sighed as he rolled his eyes. "You guys are never gonna let me live this down, are you?"

"Well, you know us..."

"And besides, I couldn't use the nitrous." Kirk stated plainly. "It doesn't come in until next Tuesday."

Jason chuckled, then his voice turned serious again. "This kids in danger?" he asked

"Hank's got an ulterior motive, I know it. Dawn's definitely in danger."

"All right, we're on it now." Jason said. The two men exchanged goodbyes and both severed the connection. The address flashed on the screen in the dash, but Kirk ignored it. He knew exactly where he was going.

"Next stop, the old University of Illinois: Chicago campus." Kirk muttered to himself as he started up the Mustang. "And presently the home of The Council, whatever the hell that is."

And with that, he peeled out of the parking lot.

END CHAPTER

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!


	3. Of Swords and Schoolgirls

Well, I was going to do this weekly, but by popular demand I'll post chapter 3 early. Very early.

**Darkvampirewitc:** I already e-mailed you, but let me post this for everybody- you will find out how this all relates to Harry by the final 3 chapters. Harry won't be seen untill the epilogue. Along the way, however, you will see aspects from the Potterverse making their way into the story, so keep reading!

**Bex:** Well, your review convinced me to post this early. But don't get used to it! :) Glad you don't mind the OC, and I hope you enjoy where I take this.

And now, on with the show!

**Family Values Chapter 3**

**Of Swords and Schoolgirls**

Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.

Andrew Kirk pulled into the parking lot of the old UIC campus only about 10 minutes after leaving One Financial Building. The campus hadn't changed much, he noticed, but the few things that had changed were VERY noticeable. For one, there was a new sign on the lawn:

The Watcher's Council

Re-established June 2002

The next thing he noticed was the guard posts around the perimeter, as well as the one guarding the front gates- all manned by girls that couldn't be older than 16.

_Well, _Kirk thought, _that's interesting._

Once he parked and started walking around the campus, he immediately noticed that the skywalk had been rebuilt, allowing access to all of the buildings without having to step outside. The buildings had also received a facelift, and he could only imagine what the insides looked like. He glanced and saw a group of girls heading between classes- and all of them were carrying swords. Kirk blinked but, yup, they still had swords. He tried shaking his head, but his vision stayed the same.

"Fencing class." A voice said from behind him, and he spun himself around to face a tall, thin girl with short red hair that was almost hidden under a rainbow-colored knit cap. "Are you lost, sir?"

"Sort of," Kirk said after clearing his throat. Weren't there any GUYS on campus? "I was looking for the main administration building. It's been awhile…" he trailed off, leading the girl to draw her own conclusions.

"It's right this way." The girl said, pointing towards a big glass and concrete building in the distance. "Here, let me walk you there"

"Thanks." Kirk said as he extended his hand. "Andrew Kirk."

"Violet Dames." The girl shook his hand. And she had quite a grip as well, Kirk noted as he subtly shook his hand to try and recover some of the feeling in it. "Everybody calls me Vi."

"And everybody calls me Kirk." He replied as they walked towards the administration building. "So," he started conversationally, "What do you do here?"

"Go to school, mostly." Vi replied. "Council mandate states that all employees finish all of their basic schooling. I'm a senior, right now."

Kirk looked over the girl skeptically. "In college?"

"No, in high school." Vi replied. "Most of the girls that come here are about 15, so they finish their high school education here, before going into the college program."

"What kind of company is this, anyways?" Kirk asked.

"We're multi-faceted." Vi replied. "It's part boarding school, part security consulting."

Kirk raised an eyebrow at that, then glanced over to a nearby group of girls that were busy gossiping about the latest fashions. "Right." He replied. Vi Smiled.

"Would you ever suspect that group of girls of tailing you?" she asked, pointing to the group he had spied. Kirk let out a short laugh.

"No." he admitted. "But I'm good at my job, and I know when people are tailing me, group of schoolgirls or not."

"That a fact?"

"Yup." Kirk replied confidently.

"It's nice that you think that." Vi replied. "But those 'school girls' have been tailing you since you got out of that silver Mustang that's parked in the North Parking Lot." Kirk looked sharply at the girl. "And we don't normally 'walk' strange men to the admin building, if you catch my drift."

Kirk looked at his 'guide', who was turning out to be more like his 'escort.' Vi's smile widened. "We've had you on our screens since you got here. You're the guy who's looking for Dawn, right?"

"That's right. So what are you, chief of security or something? Making sure my intentions are good?"

Vi laughed. "Something like that. We take care of our girls here. And no, I'm not chief of security."

"Well, that's good."

"I'm the 2IC. Kennedy's in charge of Security."

Kirk could only stare at her with a dumbfounded look on his face.

Vi led him into the Administration building and up to the 5th floor conference room, where she left him to go get Buffy and a Mr. Giles. While he was alone, he took the opportunity to look around the conference room. It was long, with a long oak conference table taking up most of the room. The far wall was all windows facing out into the campus opposite the doors. The two side walls held projection screens that were fed their info from projectors mounted from the ceiling.

What interested him most was the wall that held the entrance. Next to the door was a plaque that listed all of the senior board members and their positions. He immediately noticed a Rupert Giles, who was the CEO and Head of the Council. Then he saw Buffy's name directly under his, listed as Vice President.

_Huh._ Kirk wondered at the titles as his eyes moved down the wall. Directly next to the plaque was a memorial. Under the title "Never Forgotten" were pictures and names of people who had passed on.

_Odd thing to have in a conference room…_ Kirk thought as looked at the pictures on the wall. His eyes passed over each picture in turn- Jenny Calendar, Joyce Summers, a guy named Doyle, several girls whom, he assumed, must have been students here, Tara Maclay…the list went on and on. H noticed that while dates from some of them were recent, the bulk of the names listed (all girls, he noted) went back for several centuries.

Kirk found his gaze drawn to the portraite of Joyce. She seemed like a beautiful, strong woman. He could seenow, having met Hank, where Buffy had gotten so much of her love and passion from.

"She died."

Kirk spun around at the voice, and came face to face with Buffy Summers.

"Complications from a brain tumor. It had been removed, but she suffered an aneurism later on. Died instantly."

Kirk looked at the woman sympathetically. "If I were to judge her on her daughter, than she must have been a hell of a woman."

Buffy smiled at that. "Yeah, she was."

"Perhaps we should be seated…" Kirk motioned towards the conference table. Buffy and Giles took their customary seats at the head of the table, and Kirk took the seat directly across from Buffy.

"Before we begin," Buffy started, "let me introduce you to Rupert Giles. He's the head of the Council, and the only person who has he right to call himself a father to Dawn."

The two men shook hands. "Thank you for meeting me on, well, NO notice. But I thought you'd want to hear what I've found out so far."

"Have you seen Dawn?" Buffy interrupted, desperation bleeding into her voice. Kirk shook his head.

"I'm afraid not." Kirk stated. "I talked to Mr. Summers, though. And he had some…interesting... theories on Dawn."

"Like what?" Giles asked.

"Like that Buffy had brainwashed her against him and that he had sent her to, and I quote, 'de-er, re-programming."

There was a brief silence as the two absorbed that information before Buffy looked at Kirk.

"He thinks I BRAINWASHED her?!" she exclaimed. Giles shook his head.

"No, he said that to cover the fact that HE is having her brainwashed, am I correct?" he directed the last part of the statement to Kirk, who nodded.

"That's what I believe, Mr. Giles." Kirk replied. "So it comes down to this. I am willing to take this case and help recover your sister, Ms. Summers. But I need to know what goes on here, and especially what Dawn's role here was."

"We're a security consulting firm, Mr. Kirk." Giles stated as he cleaned his glasses. "We have branches world wide. We also have interest in several other fields such as archeology, finances, computer technology, and linguistics. Dawn was the co-head of our Linguistics Department under Mr. Whyndam-Price."

Kirk blinked in surprise. "She's a co-head of a department? What is she, 16?"

"Just turned 17, actually." Buffy said in a quiet voice. "She has a gift with languages. She can translate anything."

Kirk thought for a moment. "Does she have access to any sensitive materials, or valuables? Something worth a lot of money, or perhaps some kind of information that someone would pay a high price to obtain?"

Giles looked thoughtful. "We store a number or priceless artifacts in the Council's vault."

"And does Dawn have access to the vault?"

"Yes, she does. All senior members have access."

"You think my dad wants to get into the vault?" Buffy asked. Kirk nodded.

"It's a distinct possibility." he replied. "It's also possible that he thinks Dawn translated something that he could use for some reason, or perhaps that she would have access to any technology that you may be developing." Than he looked directly at the blond. "Is there anything else I should know about her, or her business here?"

"None that is relevant." Giles stated. Kirk turned his piercing gaze on the elder man.

"Sir, I just saw girls walking to and from classes with SWORDS. You say you're a security consulting firm, yet all I see around here are a bunch of kids! Your second in command of security, according to her, is a senior in HIGH SCHOOL! If Dawn's involved in all of this, I'd say there is a great deal that you're not telling me that's relevant!"

"Look, Mr. Kirk," Buffy started in a calm, yet desperate voice, "a lot of the things we do around here, we can't talk about. To anybody, for any reason. But trust me when I say that the only thing, and I mean ONLY thing, Dawn did around here was translating ancient texts. She took her classes with the rest of the girls, and then did her job in the Linguistics department. She has access to the vault. That's it."

Kirk looked back and forth between the two people sitting around him- Giles with his steely glare, Buffy with her pleading eyes. He sighed in defeat.

"All right, I'll leave it at that. For now." He added quickly, and then rose. The other two followed suit. "I'm going to head back to the office to check on some leads. I'll keep you informed of any progress."

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The three shook hands and Vi escorted Kirk back to his car, much to Kirk's annoyance. Vi told him that it was simply a precaution, plus she wanted to see his car. They parted ways as Kirk reached his car and left the compound.

He was heading back to the office when he saw the blue Ford sedan tailing him several cars back. Just to make sure, he started turning random corners and changing lanes every so often. Sure enough, the mystery coupe followed his every move. So Kirk did the only logical thing.

He stopped dead in the middle of the street.

He put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and got out, ignoring all of the honking and rude gestures of his fellow drivers. Kirk made his way back to the blue Ford and tapped on the window, which seemed to open reluctantly.

"Hi there! Who are you and why the hell are you tailing me?"

----

The two men drove over to a small coffee shop down the way. They sat down inside and quickly ordered.

"So," Kirk started, "Not that I don't mind a good cup of joe, but…"

"I'm Special Agent Frank Miller, FBI." The older man responded. "And I was tailing you because you've been seen consorting with suspected terrorists."

There was a beat of silence where Kirk just looked at the Agent with an unreadable look on his face.

Than he burst out laughing.

"You…they…oh, for the love of…" Kirk gasped out as a new round of laughter escaped his mouth. Agent Miller looked annoyed.

"This is serious, Mr. Kirk." Miller growled out. "The group you've been in contact with, I've discovered, has cells operating out of every major country on the planet. These groups have been linked to several violent disturbances over the past year!"

Kirk shook his head, finally managing to stop laughing. "The group I've been in contact with is just trying to get someone they care about back." He explained, wiping away the tears all of the laughter had caused. "One of the heads of this Councils' sister was kidnapped by her own father, and they are trying to bring her back safely. They hired me because they haven't been able to make any headway on their own. Now, if this was a multi-national terrorist operation, do you really think they wouldn't be able to find one of their own people by themselves?"

"I'm well aware of their current situation." Miller responded. "But I don't believe that the young Miss Summers was kidnapped at all."

Kirk's eyebrows went up to his hairline at that. "Oh, really?" Kirk replied. "And what do you believe happened?"

"I believe that Dawn decided to cut ties with the group and disappear. Perhaps she wants to turn state's evidence. And the Council wants to find her before she can." Miller sat back in his chair with a satisfied look on his face.

Kirk took a few minutes to ponder that while the coffee was brought to the table. After thanking the waitress, the young detective turned back to the elder Agent.

"Ok, let's say that is even remotely true," Kirk said, leaning forward. "My agency has very public ties to the Feds. Any half-competent street thug could look us up on the net. And this group seems to employ some very intelligent people. Now, if this girl was really going to turn state's evidence, would the Council really hire a detective agency with our connections? Why risk Dawn telling us about their evil plot to rule the world?"

"I don't know why they hired you; maybe they plan on taking you out after everything is done. But I do know that these people are under constant surveillance. At the first hint of them implementing any kind of terrorist plot, my unit is ready to move in and take them down." Miller got up to leave. "I'm just warning you to stay out of my way."

Kirk rose also. "And I'm telling you that Dawn Summers is in trouble, and I'll do everything in my power to bring her back to her rightful home. And I'll take down anybody who gets in my way, friend or otherwise."

"Is that a threat?"

"Yeah, it is. You got a problem, you can talk to my superior. He lives in a big white house in D.C." Kirk's phone chose that moment to ring. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm working a case." And with that, Kirk left the café.

---

Dawn heard footsteps coming down the hall and tensed. It wasn't time yet. It was too early for the shot. She knew it was too early. The Doctor had only left a few hours ago, three at most. But here he came again.

Please god, not another shot….

The door burst open to reveal the Doctor standing there in his impeccably pressed lab coat.

"Hello, Dawn."

Dawn scrambled back to the far corner of the room, trying to get as far away from the doctor as she could. She started whimpering as he moved towards her. It was then that she noticed the woman standing behind him. She was dressed entirely in black, with a black hooded cloak covering almost her entire form. With an expression of vague disinterest on her face, the woman followed the doctor inside.

"As you can see, the project is coming along just fine." The Doctor said in assuring tones to the mystery lady. "By early next week, we shall be ready to begin phase two."

"That is insufficient to my master's plans." The lady replied in a bored tone. "There are too many people asking too many questions. And all of the Slayers running around are making it difficult for some of my Master's plans to come to fruition. We need the girl ready to serve him now."

The doctor looked nervous, Dawn noted. She wasn't naïve enough to get her hopes up- obviously this woman wasn't here to help her, and anything that could make the Doctor nervous…well, she didn't want to meet him. Or her.

"These things take time, Ms. Calista." The Doctor tried to explain. "Programming the mind is a delicate process. I can't just snap my fingers," his fingers gave and audible snap "and have her blindly serve your Master."

Calista smiled. "You can't, I can." She replied bluntly. "My master has decided that the time to act is now. Dawn will destroy the Council and their new allies and retrieve the artifact. This will be her initiation, and it will happen Friday." Calista moved over so she was standing in front of the cowering girl. "So pathetic. To think, your blood is truly the purest blood in the world, and yet you cower in fear on the floor." She kneeled down in front of the girl and grabbed her face, forcing Dawn to look her in the eyes. "The irony here is that you've held the power to free yourself all along. It's just been locked away, deep inside of you. But don't worry," Calista swiftly brought her other hand up to Dawn's chest and pressed the palm of her hand against the young woman's body. Suddenly a wave of energy flowed out of Calista's hand and into Dawn, and the young Watcher experienced a whole new level of pain. Calista smiled as the magic's she was given by her Dark Lord flowed into the girl, unlocking her powers and bending her will to suit her masters needs. "that power will soon be yours to wield, and my Master's to control."

--

James sat in his office back at headquarters going over the Summer's bible, looking for clues to the current case. Had had already made a list of all the properties Hank Summers owned or had ownership in Chicago, and had read Dawns' rather unspectacular history, marred only by instances of shoplifting and declining grades around the time of the death of her mother.

Now Buffy Summers, on the other hand, was much more interesting. Suspected of Arson, Murder, Burglary; she had run away at the end of her Junior year in high school after being expelled, and to top it off she had a record with the Military that was classified so high, he wondered if the President had been briefed on her. But the real kicker was that, only two years ago, she of all people had been a guidance counselor at Sunnydale High. He supposed that, with her past, she could definitely advise future generations on how to NOT follow in her footsteps.

Looking deeper into her file, she saw something that tugged on his brain. It was an official government form that transferred custody of Dawn to her upon her mother's death. He saw that the next of kin listed wasn't an actual family member, and most certainly not her father. The person listed was Rupert Giles.

The name had been bugging James ever since he learned that a Rupert Giles was in charge of the Council, where both Buffy and Dawn worked. There was something about that name that was ringing bells…

James sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes, than looked around the office at the pictures on the walls. His eyes fell on a photograph taken a few years ago at a family get-together that was held to celebrate his cousin's recent promotion at his job. He saw himself looking much younger standing next to a three distinguished gentlemen, dressed in their finest suits. One man was his father Walter, the other was his Uncle Thomas, and the third was his cousin Wesley…

Oh, shit. James thought. Of course! Rupert Giles, The Council…

They were Watchers.

And Buffy Summers was one of the Slayers his cousin had been assigned to, before he had been sacked.

With a curse at his own inept memory, James picked up the phone and swiftly dialed Kirk's number. This information sure changed things a bit.

TBC….

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	4. Strange Encounters

**Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I a****m GOD.**

A/N: Thanks to all of my reviewers! I don't think I have ever got that many at one time (sad as that is, or not). Please allow me to respond, or fee free to scroll down and get to the story:

Banditcat: I'm glad you like how I am portraying Buffy, but I will say that she will get to be teh Slayer in the near future. As for Dawn kicking Hank's ass.... well, all I will say is that he will get his. And I'm glad you like my writing style because, at times, I don't:)

Untamed-Beauty: There will be no real pairings in this story, but I will say that Willow and Kennedy are still together (don't worry, they aren't big characters and their relationship isn't really touched on), Faith and Wood are good friends, but not together (kind of important for the next story), and everybody else is either single (Buffy, Giles, etc) or married (Kirk, Jason Dodge). Oh, and Wes and Fred are together.

LizaGirl: Thank you, I will. Love Drew. :)

Dur'id the Druid: A review from the savior of The Phoenix Child! I know the early chapters were a bit cliched, but alas, it had to be done. And I truly hope to really flesh out my characters more in this tory, then go balls-out in the next story. And I would like to mention, for the record, that there will be certain elements that I put into these stories that pay homage to Malli and 'The Phoenix Child.' And a s a side note, I can't wait to read your continuation.

FallenStar2: Oh boy, the big one. I want to state, first off, that it always gives me great pleasure to get a review from an author that I get so much inspiration from, and I thank you for taking the time. Now, all flattery aside, I think that by the end of this little fic you will see just how well Harry Potter will fit into this world. It will just take a little time to get there. Actually, we start seeing hints in this very chapter!And I'm glad you like my OC, as I found that most peole ar wary about reading stories with original characters in them. And lastly: Update soon!

And on with the show!

**Ch. 4**

**Local 666**

Buffy was getting anxious.

It had been nearly two weeks since Dawn had been taken from her, and she was no closer to getting her back. Even with the Council and all of its resources, she'd still had to hire a private detective firm to aid in the search. And the only thing they had found out for sure was that her dear old dad had evil intentions for the youngest Summers. That and a list of properties that Hank Summers and his company owned.

So now Buffy had Council teams sweeping each of the properties, which ranged from abandoned lots, to old warehouses, to modern business complexes. 62 individual pieces of property, and only 7 fully trained teams to search them all.

Right now Buffy was doing her part, accompanied by Willow, Kennedy, and Wesley as she searched an old processing plant in one of the seedier areas of downtown Chicago. Willow had managed to open all of the locks so far without any trouble, and Wesley watched their backs (Buffy never thought she'd see the day when she would let THAT happen) while her and Kennedy started clearing rooms.

The group slowly made their way to the center of the building, where they were greeted with a most unusual sight- what looked to be a union meeting from hell.

Vampires and other various demon species were milling around the room, which has filled with chairs all set up in front of a makeshift stage. A figure dressed all in black, including a black hooded cloak and black cane with what appeared to be a serpent's head at the top was talking to one of the vampires as all of the other demons were talking amongst themselves, presumably about what they had just heard.

The part that unsettled Buffy about the whole thing was that all of the demons seemed to be in agreement on whatever had been said.

"I think we need a bigger boat." Kennedy quipped, nervousness showing through her voice.

"I think we need backup." Wesley added in a hushed voice. Buffy looked at him and nodded, then looked back at Willow.

"Will, do you think you could call-"

But Buffy was cut of as suddenly a hail of automatic gunfire came ripping out of nowhere, cutting down the large group of assembled demons. The man in black looked over to where the gunfire was coming from, and Buffy thought she could make out the shape of some kind of mask before he suddenly disappeared with a loud CRACK. The Vamp he was talking to started to make a run for it, but she heard Kennedy muttering "Oh, no you don't…" under her breath as she fired her crossbow. The bolt impaled the vamp's leg, causing him to fall to the ground, writhing in agony. Kennedy quickly reloaded and fired at a Polgara demon that was trying to get away, the bolt catching it in the face. Wesley quickly drew his Beretta's and opened fire as well, cutting down a couple of more demons. And after a few minutes, all of the demons who had gathered were dead.

Except for one.

The vampire Kennedy had taken down was crawling towards the exit as quickly and quietly as he could. But he stopped suddenly as he ran into a pair of legs. The Vampire looked up-

To face the muzzle of a P-90 pointed right at his face.

"Heh…uh, you know that won't kill me, right?" the vamp said. The mystery attacker grinned.

"No, but it'll hurt like a bitch." Andrew Kirk replied. But before he could pull the trigger, the vamp brought out a knife he had hidden under his shirt and lunged at the Captain. The knife struck home, impaling Kirk through the heart. Kirk grunted and staggered back against the wall next to the back door, and his head dropped down.

"Heh." The vampire grinned, then swiftly looked back over his shoulder as he saw the approaching Slayers. "Well, I'd love to stay and have a drink on you, but I got to…." The vamp's voice trailed off as he turned his head back to look at the dead man…

Who was grinning like a maniac.

And not quite dead, despite the knife in his heart, which he deftly reached up and grabbed by the hilt, ripping it out and in one swift motion planted it into the vampires cold, unbeating heart and breaking off the handle, leaving the blade embedded in his chest.. The vampire staggered back, clutching at the small portion of the blade that was protruding, trying to remove it.

"That….was a mistake." Kirk said in a sing-song voice as he gestured at the vamp with his hand. An invisible force seemed to grab it by the neck and pull him up into the air as the attacker raised his arm. Soon, the vampire was a good two feet off of the ground. And at that moment, Buffy, Kennedy, Willow and Wesley ran around the stack of boxes that had been hiding them from view and stopped short at what they were seeing, starring in confusion and disbelief.

Andrew Kirk smiled at the small group as he effortlessly held the vampire in the air before him.

"You called for backup?" he asked with a smirk.

* * *

The man in black reappeared with a loud CRACKin the lab where Dawn was being held. He swiftly headed down the halls, following the screams of agony and ecstasy till he found who he was looking for.

Calista was standing in front of Dawn, feeding her more and more energy when a voice interrupted her concentration.

"How long?" the male voice asked. Calista stopped her ministrations and turned to face the masked man.

"Two days, three tops." Calista replied. "Then she'll be ready for her initiation."

"Good." The man replied. "Because the Slayer and her friends just decimated even more troops that our Master had spent time and resources on collecting." The man snarled under his mask, his silver eyes gleaming. "I want them eliminated as soon as possible." He said in closing as he disappeared with a sharp crack. Calista rolled her eyes and turned back to her patient. "As you wish." She said as she resumed channeling magical energy into the young girl, who resumed her screams.

Though they weren't as loud as before.

* * *

"What the hell are you?" Buffy asked Kirk as she saw him hold the vampire up in the air with little more than a thought.

"I am god." Kirk replied serenely.

"Bullshit." Buffy spat.

"Blasphemy!" Kirk responded. Buffy just glared.

"He's a witch. Err, wizard. Warlock. Whatever male…witches are called." Kennedy surmised. Willow nodded in assessment.

"I believe the proper term is Warlock."

"Hey!" Kirk yelled. "Don't insult me. If you must know, I'm a natural telekinetic that happens to be holding vast quantities of mystical energy until the proper owner can be found. Now, did you want to ask this guy some questions about where Dawn is? Cause believe it or not, it takes effort to hold him up there."

"You could just let me down..."

"Shut up!" Kirk and Buffy exclaimed at the vampire. Buffy turned back to Kirk. "Why do you REALLY want to find Dawn, huh? You need her for some ritual? Some kind of sacrifice?"

"I'm trying to find her because A: you're paying me, and B: I don't like seeing kids in trouble! And if you want to know anything, why don't you ask him!" Kirk yelled back, gesturing to the vampire. He looked at the creature. "Seeing as how Ms. Summers has been struck with the sudden case of the stupids, I'll be leading your interrogation today. Now, where is Dawn Summers?"

"I don't know what your talking about!" The vampire exclaimed. Kirk shook his head.

"Sorry, wrong answer!" With that, he gestured his hand up, sending the vamp crashing up into the ceiling. The he gestured down, and he vamp came crashing back down onto the floor. "I can do this all day, you know. And in the end, you WILL answer my questions. Why not make it easy on yourself?"

"If I tell you anything, he'll kill me!" the Vamp exclaimed.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Kirk responded. "Worry about me. Now, what do you know about Dawn?"

"Not much, just bits and pieces…"

"Where is she?" Buffy growled. The vampire flinched back.

"I…I don't know, they never told me important stuff, just basics."

"Well then, lets get back to basics. Starting with the gathering here tonight." Wesley asked pointedly.

"It was a recruitment drive. Some big bad in Britain is gathering an army for something, and he's gathering demons from all over."

"And you are in charge of all of this?" Wesley asked. The Vampire shook his head.

"I'm not in charge, I'm just the go-between. The guy in the black cloak was in charge."

"And Dawn?" Kirk asked. Buffy glared at him.

"Don't know much about her, just what I overheard the guy was telling his boss."

"And what was that?" Kennedy asked.

"They needed the kid to get to that Scythe. You know, the one that activated all the Slayers? They need her to get it and use it to reverse the spell."

The group looked at the vampire with blank looks on their faces.

"Can she do that?" Kirk asked. Willow shook her head.

"No, the spell is permanent. If it could be undone, it would have to be by a damn powerful witch, which Dawn isn't."

"Yes she is."

Everybody turned to face the vampire again. "Or she will be. I don't have the details, but the big guy wanted to recruit her too, as soon as her 'training' was done. At least, that's what I heard."

"Anything else we should know?" Kirk inquired. The Vamp shook his head.

"Nope, that's all I got. So, can I go?"

"Nope."

"But I told you everything I know!"

"Yeah, and I said I was going to kill you. And I'm nothing if not a man of my word." With a flick of his hand the vampire was engulfed in flames, and dusted moments later. Suddenly alone, Everybody looked at one another. It was Kennedy who spoke first.

"How did you know about Slayers?"

"One of my guys apparently had a Cousin who worked for the Watcher's Council. Apparently the guy managed to get himself shit-canned when he screwed up watching not one, but TWO Slayers. Jim called him a pompous, ignorant git."

Buffy, Willow, and Kennedy al turned to face Wesley, whose faced showed a mix of amusement and indignation. Kirk noticed this. "And you are?"

"The 'pompous, ignorant git." Wesley replied wryly. " Wesley Whyndam-Pryce. I'm assuming your 'guy' is James Pryce?"

"Kirk nodded. "Yeah, that's right." He looked closer at the Watcher and noticed the similarities between the man before him and the man in the picture in James' office. "Yeah, I see it now. Looks like you filled out. Look," he continued, "It's obvious that we both need to fill each other in on some key points that have some bearing on this case. So why don't we do this. Me and my team will come to you in, say, one hour. We'll meet at your place on your terms. If, after I've explained my side and you don't want us on this anymore, we'll drop the case and won't look back. Same thing goes if we don't like what you have to say. Deal?"

"Deal." Buffy replied.

"Fine, then I'll see you in one hour. Tootles." And with a wave, Kirk shimmered out of existence. Buffy frowned.

"Wesley, call back the other teams. Kennedy, have the girls ready at the Council. I want a full welcoming party assembled for their arrival."

"Will that be a 'fully armed' welcoming party?" the chief of security asked. Buffy nodded. "Right. I'll have the girls ready in twenty minutes."

"Good. Let's go home."

TBC…

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	5. Revelations

Dawn of the Phoenix

Chapter 5

Revelations

Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.

Review responses to follow chapter.

Three cars pulled into the Council's main parking lot. As the cars parked and shut down, Andrew Kirk and his team go out and began to walk towards the main building. Jason Dodge, the second in command, fell into step next to his captain while James Pryce, Mike Dougherty, and Lisa Dodge fell into step behind the leaders.

"Anybody armed?" Kirk asked the group. They all shook their heads as Jason looked pointedly down at the Berretta that the Captain wore in his belt holster.

"Just you, apparently." Jason said dryly, his voice containing a slight southern twang.

"For appearances, I assure you." Kirk replied.

"Not that a gun would be of much use against a Slayer, if I remember correctly." Jason said, his voice hinting of a British accent.

"Why? Are they bullet proof?" Kirk queried. Jason shook his head.

"No, but they move extremely fast. They are super strong, have heightened senses and heal extraordinarily fast. I doubt that you could get off more than one shot before she would have you disarmed."

"Like I said, for appearances. Besides, some things have changed since you were last in contact with the council, Jason. Namely, the number of Slayers in existence."

"Last I heard, there were two. What, did the newer one die and get revived, so now there are three?"

"More like three hundred."

"That's not possible. There's only supposed to be one!"

"He's telling the truth." Lisa said, glancing around at the buildings on either side of them as they walked through the courtyard to get to the main building. "I can feel the power here."

"And it looks like they're keeping an eye on us." Jason observed as he saw dozens of girls lining the walkway, pointing- crossbows at them? "Okay, guess it's better than guns, but really. Who arms college girls with crossbows?"

"More like high school girls." Kirk corrected. "And they're all slayers. I can't believe I didn't feel it before."

"You're not one for magic, Kirk." Lisa said. "You've tuned your power out for so long that you couldn't sense it anymore."

They finally reached the main building, where they were greeted by Kennedy, Vi, and about a dozen other Slayers, all pointing crossbows and swords at the group.

"Hi, gang!" Kirk said in greeting. Kennedy held her crossbow on the Captain as Vi came forward.

"You're to relinquish any weapons you're carrying and accompany me to the main conference room." The Slayer said. Vi walked up to Andrew and reached for his gun. A split second later, the gun was out of his holster and pointed directly at Vi's head. All of the Slayers tensed up as Jason put his head in his hands, shaking in despair.

"Kirk, you stupid son of a bitch…"

"Rule number one in security, Ms. Dames," Kirk cocked the gun on the Slayer, who was to shocked to move, "Never let your guard down. Rule number two, never try to grab my gun. Got it?" And with that, Kirk de-cocked and safetied his gun and flipped it so the but was facing Vi. The slayer took the gun gingerly. "Thus endeth the lesson. My men are unarmed, though you are free to search them, of course."

Vi and another Slayer proceeded to search Kirk and his team. After making sure none of them were armed, Kennedy and Vi led the group up to the main conference room.

The team entered the room to find the entire board of the Council- Rupert Giles, Wesley Whyndam-Pryce, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Charles Gunn, and some guy called Angel sitting around the large table. Buffy was standing in front of one of the windows that faced out into the courtyard. She spoke as they sat down at the table.

"Six other agencies." Buffy was looking out at the dark courtyard. "That's how many other detective agencies I visited before I ended up at your door. Each and every one of them turned me down. Said they didn't want to get involved in some custody dispute, that they didn't want to waste their time." She gave a short, hollow laugh. "They didn't even want to take my money." She then tuned to look at Kirk, her face a hollow mask, her eye's as clod as steel. "But you took the case. For some reason, you decided to get involved in my little custody battle. And I want to know why."

"You think I took this case so I could use Dawn for my own means, right? Because I'm magical?"

"That's right." Buffy's eyes didn't waver from Kirks.

"Then you're full of shit, Summers."

There was an audible thump as Jason's head hit the table. James and Mike gave small groans of annoyance; Lisa just gave a small chuckle.

"Look, kiddies. Let me spell this out for you. I'll even use small words that you'll understand. I'm not generally a nice guy. I've done some pretty bad things in my day, stuff I'm trying to make up for by doing the good deeds today. But throughout my past, one thing has remained the same- I hate people who abuse women, and I DETEST anybody who brings harm to a child.

"Now, I wasn't going to take this case at first. But I promised I'd talk to your dad, Buffy. And I did. And he struck me as a grade-A asshole who wouldn't hesitate to hurt his own daughter, unless I managed to get her back to you.

And THAT is why I took this case, sweetheart. No ulterior motives, no virgin sacrifice, nothing. Hell, I HATE magic! I LOATHE it. If I hadn't made a promise to hold onto it, I would gladly let it go."

"Alright, say we believe you…" Giles stood and took off his glasses to clean them, "Then what exactly are you? Where does your power come from?"

Kirk glanced at Lisa, who gave him a small nod. Then he looked back at Giles.

"Before I explain, I want one thing made absolutely clear. We are NOT evil. We have never been evil, we never will be evil. All the fun stuff you read about us in those wonderfully biased history books you got? Complete and utter crap. We don't want to kill everybody, we don't want to take over the world. Got that?"

"All right, we get it. You're not evil." Kennedy said, annoyed. "Now what the hell are you?"

"Trinity."

Both Giles and Wesley jumped up in surprise, Angel growled. Kirk rolled his eyes.

"For crying out loud, NOT EVIL! NOT EVIL! Hell, YOU'VE killed more people than we have!" he pointed at Angel, whose face looked like a kids' whose just been caught raiding the cookie jar.

"But your history…" Giles started, but was interrupted by Lisa.

"Is written by the victors, Mr. Giles. Would you like to hear the true version?"

"I suppose it would be wise…" Wesley said as he took his seat again. Giles sat down as well, and Angel relaxed-somewhat-in his seat.

"Once upon a time, there were three witches. While they each practiced different kinds of magic, they all had the same goal: to gain knowledge and use it to help mankind. And so they formed a small coven. And over the years they gathered knowledge and used it to help all of those that asked for it.

They gained power- a lot of it. They were so powerful, that an evil Wizard named Gustafson- yeah, that was really his name- decided that he would take their power and bind it to himself, and use that power to rule the world.

"Around this time, the witches had begun to realize that they would not live on forever. So they devised a spell that, when they passed on, their souls, their very essences, would transfer to their next of kin. This ensured the knowledge that each generation gained would onto be lost, and would live on in the next generation. But when Gustafson learned of the spell, he devised his own plan. He basically hacked into their spell with one of his own, and in doing this he ensured that when he killed them all, their souls would go to him.

"And he did kill them. Separated them to keep them from gaining their full strength, and took them out one by one. He then bound their souls together into the entity known as Trinity and bound it to himself.

"But what he didn't realize was that Trinity was a sentient being, with all of the memories and experiences of the three witches. And they wanted no part in world domination. So Trinity used its power to overload Gustafson, who was finally killed when the power he coveted became too much for him to bear. When he died, Trinity was relegated to a side dimension, where we waited for our eventual release.

"Over the years, others have called upon Trinity to try and harness its power- some good, most evil. All died when the power proved to be too great for them to handle."

"What nobody realized," Kirk interjected, "Was that Trinity was actually three incredibly powerful witches forced into one form. One person could not handle all of that power on their own."

"Several years ago, a witch named Selene Winters tried to raise Trinity." Lisa continued. "In doing so, she formed a coven of her own, comprised mostly of young girls who had been drugged and brainwashed by her. Among those girls was Ann Nichols, who would later become Andrew's wife, and a young girl named Raven. She was Selene's daughter, and had been raised by Selene to be her personal assassin."

"But Raven had become disillusioned of the life she was forced to lead," Kirk said, taking over the story. "I had been poking around, trying to find out why my girlfriend suddenly hated my guts. Selene sent Raven to kill me. She tried to get close by playing he lost, scared girl card. I think she expected me to take advantage of her. I guess she was surprised when I didn't.

"I just took care of her, tended to her wounds. She would occasionally make advances, and I'd turn them down. She couldn't believe that I didn't want anything in return. Eventually, she told me why she was there, and that she didn't want to. She wanted an out. And I offered to give her one. And then all hell broke loose.

"Selene and her coven attacked, took Raven and knocked me out, and burned down my office with me still in it. But she had left me something- a vial of the drug Selene was using on her coven.

"The drug enhanced a person's natural magical ability. It also enhanced natural telepathic and telekinetic abilities, which I used to get out of the office. Lisa found me, and together we went after Selene.

Long story short, we got to the ceremony and managed to snap Ann out of Selene's hold. Together, we fought off Selene's coven. Her right hand, Calista, managed to escape, even after I ran her through with a sword. But Selene managed to call Trinity by sacrificing Raven. But Trinity got something that night that they had been waiting for- direct decedents."

"You see, what Andrew said before was true- one person alone cannot control Trinity. But there are those who can control the power- direct decedents of the witches of Trinity." Lisa explained.

"There were three there that night, two of which were Winters. Selene wanted it, but Trinity saw why. They also saw into Raven's mind, and saw the regret, the remorse, the desire for a real life. So they chose her. Healed her wounds and Raven, with Ann's help, defeated and killed Selene."

"Who was the other descendent?" Wesley asked.

"Me." Lisa replied. "I was related to the Witch Gwen, who was the heart of the group."

Kirk turned to Giles. "Anyways, Lisa had one part, but Raven had two. This caused an imbalance that threatened to kill both of them. The third descendent wasn't there that night to take her part. So it was decided by all involved that a third party should carry that power until the heir could be found. And since I was dying at the time, I got volunteered."

"Why were you dying?" Buffy asked. Kirk smiled sadly.

"I did drugs." He explained. "The drug I used to save my life and fight Selene's coven were destroying my brain. Trinity could heal the damage. Plus, there was the fact that I hated magic, and would be less inclined to use the power for my own selfish gains. And I never have. Sure, I use Trinity's healing ability- very useful in my line of work. But before today, it had been several years since I last used magic."

"So the three witches did a little ritual to transfer the essence into me, and thus saved my life. Those witches were Raven, Lisa, and Ann.

"Anyways, this is why I can do what I do. This is why I'm magical. I'm just holding the power until the final heir can be found. Look, Ms. Summers- Buffy-" Kirk locked his eyes on her, letting any masks and pretenses drop, "I'm doing this for exactly the reasons I told you before. I'm concerned that Dawn may be in serious danger. I don't like kids in danger. Call it a quirk, call it me being old fashioned, but this is what it is. And I want to help, if you let me. If you let us."

Andrew sat back in his chair. "Now that I've explained our deal, why don't you explain yours?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Wesley asked. Kirk cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean you got an entire campus full of young girls with superpowers. Slayers, if I'm sensing them right. Now, last I heard there was only one per generation. Now, suddenly, there are HUNDREDS? Whatsupwitdat?!"

Giles sighed. "I assume James has filled you in on what a Slayer is?" As the group nodded, Giles pressed on. "Every generation had a Slayer. The Slayer was trained and guided by Watchers, who were a part of the Watchers Council. About two years ago, an entity known as The First tried to destroy the Slayer line and open the Hellmouth that was located underneath the town of Sunnydale, California. In carrying out its plan, it destroyed the original Council headquarters, murdered hundreds of Potential Slayers and their Watchers, and tried to kill Buffy here on a number of occasions. I managed to gather a small number of surviving Potentials and brought them to Buffy to train.

"Shortly after, er, certain events…unfolded," Giles stated uncomfortably, refusing to look at Buffy out of guilt, "Buffy came upon the Scythe, a mystical weapon of ancient origins that contained the essence of the Slayer. Using the Scythe, Willow activated all of the Potential Slayers in the world. At the same time, Buffy and the Potentials went into the Hellmouth and, with the help of Spike and a mysterious amulet, defeated The First's army and destroyed the Hellmouth."

"You activated ALL of the Potentials out there?" Kirk gaped at the redheaded witch that sat across from him. She smiled and nodded. "Holly Hannah! I knew you had power, but something like that…"

"And what does this have to do with Dawn?" Lisa interrupted. "I've read her file. At most, she has the potential to become an average Wicca. And if this 'scythe' can do what you said it could do, I don't see why they would want Dawn."

"I'm at a loss myself." Willow shrugged. "I've gone over the spell a hundred times since I did it to tweak it, like putting an age cap on the Slayer powers so it doesn't go to anybody under 14. But no witch could undo it, that's just not possible. It's permanent."

"Maybe they don't want to undo it, but modify it to their own ends." James hypothesized. "Willow, you said you've been tweaking the spell, correct?"

"Yeah…" Willow replied uncertainly.

"Hmm…" James sat with his hand on his chin, his index finger tapping against the side of his face. Kirk sighed in annoyance.

"So? Well? What!" He finally yelled out, causing the young officer to jump slightly.

"I was just thinking that if Willow could modify the spell and put an age cap on it, why couldn't another adequately powerful witch modify the spell to do something else? Like, say, turn the power off at a certain age? Or cause the Slayer to die suddenly in her sleep?"

"Or, how about this, cause the Slayer to blindly follow around a master and do whatever he or she asks them to do, no matter how reprehensible the task is?" Jason added. Buffy groaned.

"MORE brainwashing?" She growled. "This is getting to be to much."

"This is still just a guess." James said hastily. "Like Lisa said, Dawn isn't a witch. She's not even mystica….aw, hell. What else haven't you told us?" he said at the panicked glance Buffy sent Giles. The Slayer sighed.

"There's...something else you should know. About Dawn."

"What is it?" Kirk asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"She's a mystical being. Of great power." Buffy explained. "She used to be a great ball of green energy called The Key."

Lisa had a shocked look on her face, but Kirk didn't notice.

"The Key is used to open a multi-dimensional portal at a certain time and place, correct?" Kirk looked to Buffy, who nodded. "It's supposedly thousands of years old. So how the HELL is it your sister?"

Buffy sighed. "A couple of years ago, a hell goddess named Glory was after The Key to open a portal to go back to her own dimension. The monks who were guarding it, in trying to keep it from her, used my blood to mold it into a living, breathing human being. That would be Dawn."

"But the time of the ritual is long since passed, and the place no longer exists." Wesley stated. "Dawn and I did some research on The Key when we came across some older texts a few months ago. The power of The Key is gone, used up in the ritual. The only thing left is her human self."

"Nevertheless, whomever set this in motion may have found a way to exploit her former mystical background. Maybe he's even pumping her full of magic. We won't know until we find her, however." Kirk sighed and looked at his watch- almost two A.M. "Buffy, one more thing." The Senior Slayer looked at the captain. "This Scythe- it's in a secure location?"

Buffy nodded confidently. "Yes, it is. We keep it locked in a secure vault that's warded against any type of mystical intrusion, like teleportation. The only way in is to have security access and, before you ask, I've disabled Dawn's vault access. Just in case."

"Good." Kirk stood up, the rest of his team followed suit. "We'll continue to work on the case, and fill you in on what we've found by Saturday morning. Hopefully by then we'll have locked down your sister's location, and we can go in and get her."

"Captain," Giles yawned, then continued, "In light of the fact that Hank Summers may not be the one in charge of this affair, are you still certain that he will have Dawn at one of his properties?"

"Hank may not be in charge, but in this city he's running the show. She'll be somewhere within his sphere of influence, I guarantee it. Anything else?" Everybody shook their head. "Then, in that case we're going to head home and get some rest. Goodnight." And with that, Kirk and the rest of the Horsemen strode out of the door. After they left, Giles dismissed the Board. They all filed out until it was only Buffy and Giles left in the room. The Watcher looked at his Slayer and saw how truly tired she was.

"You should get some sleep, Buffy." Giles said, not unkindly. "You won't be any use to Dawn in this condition."

"Why?"

Giles had a confused look on his face. "I'm sorry?"

Buffy turned from the window to face Giles. "Why can't we find her on our own?" she asked, sadness and a hint of desperation in her voice. "We're supposed to be the Watcher's Council, Giles. WE should be able to find anybody, anywhere, anytime. Hell, we have locater spells for just that purpose!" Buffy laughed bitterly. "Willow, the most powerful Witch in the Western hemisphere, can't even find her. My dad couldn't hide her that well, which means whatever is hiding her is powerful. More powerful than Willow, more powerful than the Council. And they have my sister."

Giles face formed into a mask of resolve. "We'll find her, Buffy. Be it the Council, or these… Horsemen, we'll find her."

"Maybe," Buffy conceded, "But do you think we can really trust these guys?"

Giles moved to stand beside Buffy and looked out of the window.

"I don't know." He answered truthfully. "But for now, we have to."

Somewhere, the screaming had stopped.

Dr. Anderson walked down the halls to the isolation room where his subject, _former subject,_ he thought bitterly, was being kept.

_I could have broken her._ He silently fumed. _If only they had given me more time…_ his internal monologue was cut off as that blasted woman Calista exited the room and walked towards him, a smug look on her face.

"You can happily report to Mr. Summers that his daughter will be ready by the end of the week." She said in that superior tone of hers. "In the meantime, I will inform the Dark Lord of my progress and that, come Friday, he will have another powerful witch in his ranks."

Dr. Anderson bristled at her commands. "Now see here, woman! You are not the boss of meACH!" Anderson was cut off by the invisible force suddenly choking him. Calista grinned wickedly.

"You will do what I say, little man, or you will suffer my wrath." She let the psychic hold go, and the good Doctor fell to the ground in a heap. "You may be talented, but remember this- you only survive because of my Lord's good graces. Now, go do what you are told." Calista smiled in satisfaction as the elder Doctor scurried off to tell Mr. Summers the news. _Just three more days, then the Slayers will be ours... _Calista thought as she walked to her quarters to contact her Dark Lord, grinning all of the way.

TBC

**Review Responses:**

**Dur'id the Druid:** Well, you brought it back, and for that I'm grateful. I'm also digging a couple of the continuations, though I always figured Malli was planning on having the big reveal in the next chapter.

**Slytherin Groupie:** Thank you for your honesty, but there is one thing I want to celar up. This has to do with me (porbably) altering the Space/Time continuum here. In season 7 of Buffy, Dawn started her first year at Sunnydale High. I took this to mean that she was a freshman in highschool, which would make her 14. Her sophomore year was spent in Greece (15) and now she is 16 and about to start her junior year (or 6th year at Hogwarts). I did this to ensure that Dawn would end up in the same year as the Golden Trio. I know it might not be correct, but that is how I am interpreting the facts. As for the whole legality thing, it is to my limited understanding that a child doesn't get a say in custody matters untill they are 18 in the US. It might be younger in England, but I don't know for sure. That is why Dawn could be taken away- because she was still a minor in the eyes of the state.

READ AND REVIEW!!!


	6. Enter the Phoenix

_Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD._

**Ch. 6**

**Enter the Phoenix**

**Friday, Watcher's Council**

For the rest of the week, both the Council and HSS worked tirelessly to try and locate the missing Summers- but with no success. Wherever Hank had sent his daughter was a closely guarded secret that no amount of magic or manpower could discern.

Buffy was getting anxious. She realized that for every day Dawn was missing, something beyond bad was happening to her.

Kirk, for his part, was just starting to get pissed off. He had never had this much trouble locating a missing person. Either through good, old fashioned detective work, or with the help of Lisa, Ann, or his daughters' magic, most of the missing person's cases he took on were swiftly solved. But whoever was behind this kidnapping was good, and powerful to boot. Because only someone with incredible power could hide a girl from some of the most powerful witches on the planet.

So it was with heavy hearts that the Council and the HSS convened on Friday morning to discuss what they had found.

"Absolutely, positively, irrefutably, undeniably NOTHING." Kirk sighed, rubbing his temples. "I'm beginning to wonder if she's still on the PLANET, let alone in the country."

"Could she have been taken out of the country?" Giles asked the assembled group. "Surely we've investigated all of Hank's properties in Chicago, and there hasn't been anything at any of them, save that demon gathering a few days ago. If she had been taken out of the country…"

"It's highly unlikely." Jason interrupted. "Ever since 9/11, airport security has been tightened down so much that it would be nearly impossible for someone to sneak her out of the country. And we've checked with the airports- no unscheduled flights, nothing under Summers or his company, and no girl matching Dawn's descriptions."

"Not that I'm doubting your work, Jason," Xander leaned forward in his chair. "But considering people are still sneaking weapons onto airplanes after 9/11, isn't it possible that someone managed to sneak a 16year old girl onto a plane as well?"

"Guys got a point." Kirk said. "We'll explore that avenue more. Besides, there are more than one way to get someone out of the country without using planes- portals, teleportation, instantaneous transportation devices…"

Buffy turned to Angel. "Angel, what about portals? Could it be possible that she's in another dimension?"

"I've asked Fred about it," Angel said, speaking about the young physicist/Ancient demon that had worked with him back in L.A. Once a normal, albeit brilliant, young woman whom Angel had found in the hell dimension of Pylea, Fred had been possessed by the spirit of the Old One called Illyria when Angel had taken over Wolfram and Heart a few years ago. Briefly enemies, then reluctant allies, Angel and Illyria had fought side by side to destroy the armies that Wolfram and Heart had sent after them when they had destroyed the Circle of the Black Thorne. Since that time, Illyria had found more and more of Fred's personality coming through until it became apparent that Fred's soul had not been destroyed, merely shunted aside. One quick soul restoration spell from Willow later, and Fred had returned, much to the delight of Wesley. Now Fred and Illyria shared the body, which proved most useful when the Council needed a heavy hitter on their side.

"She says it's possible, but according to her instruments no portals have been opened in or around Chicago for the past few months." The Vampire continued. "Gunn has been working on getting subpoenas for Hank and his staff so we could question them about Dawn, but frankly we think it's a long shot."

"No, that's a good idea." Kirk interjected. "Keep the heat on him from all angles. Plus, going through the legal system will cause some bad publicity, and that will piss him off."

"And angry people make mistakes." Faith concluded knowingly.

"Exactly." Kirk smiled. "Anyways, we'll continue working on this today, but I'm giving my boys the night off to rest. We'll get back to work tomorrow. In the meantime, I think it would be a good idea for the Council to follow up on the mystical transportation idea- I'm ashamed that I didn't think of it sooner."

"Alright. Anything else?"

"Miller's been poking around again- we've kicked him off of the property three times in the past week." Kennedy said.

"Did he have a warrant?" Buffy asked; the younger Slayer shook her head no.

"No. Honestly, I don't think he has enough on us to get a warrant. But on the bright side, I hear he's been poking around Hank's place, too."

There were scattered sniggers at that before Buffy spoke up again. "Anything else now?" Everyone shook their heads, and Buffy stood. "Then lets get back to work."

As everybody started to file out of the conference room, Buffy's secretary Janet came in and handed a note to the senior Slayer. Buffy glanced at it, then looked at it again more skeptically.

"Who sent this?" Buffy asked Janet, who had been standing by patiently.

"Don't know, it just came in over the fax." She replied professionally. "I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I thought you would want to take a look nonetheless."

Buffy nodded in agreement. "You were right. Good work, Janet. And thanks." She added with a smile. With a nod, the secretary was dismissed, and Buffy looked at the note one more time. It read:

Midnight

Union Station

-Dawn-

Buffy looked out the window. _If that's where they're going to take Dawn,_ she thought resolutely, _then that's where I'm going to be._

**Union Station, Midnight**

Buffy and Willow Walked into Union Station a little before midnight.

"You're sure this was wise, Buffy" Willow asked as she felt around for Dawn's specific life signature. "Trusting some mysterious fax that Dawn would be here…"

"I know it's a long shot, Will," Buffy sighed, "But it's all we got…the hell?!" the Slayer exclaimed as Wesley and Giles walked up to the pair.

"What are you two doing here?" Buffy asked in way of a greeting.

"We were informed earlier this evening that Dawn was supposed to be here tonight." Wesley replied. "We tried to find you to tell you…"

"But you were gone." Giles finished. "What are you two doing here?"

"I was sent a fax that said Dawn would be here at midnight." Buffy replied, and then frowned. "This is kind of weird."

"Weirder than normal?" Xander asked as he and Faith walked up to the group.

"S'up, B?" Faith asked. Buffy's eyes narrowed.

"This doesn't feel right." The elder Slayer said. "What are the odds that the entire senior level of the Council would end up in a deserted train station at the same time in the middle of the night?"

"This smells like a trap." Faith deduced. "Look, B. I know you want to find your sister, but we should book, like NOW."

"I concur." Wesley added. "This is too suspicious to risk staying here any longer."

Everybody agreed and started to briskly walk towards the exit.

And that's when the building exploded.

**Midnight, Hyperion Apartments**

Jason and Lisa made their way down the hall to their apartment in a slightly drunk state, laughing and whispering sweet nothings into each others ear. They got to the apartment and Jason tried to quickly unlock the door. He was getting luck tonight!

The two entered the apartment and slammed the door shut, and they quickly fell into one another's arms and started kissing. They tried to make their way to the bedroom in total darkness until Jason banged his shin against the coffee table in the living room.

"Ouch! Damnit…"

"Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty…" his wife teased. Jason scowled.

"Oh, sure. I get hurt and you're all jokes." Jason only partially teased back. "Now, where's that _goram_ light switch?"

Jason felt along the wall until he found the switch. With an exclamation of triumph he flipped the switch…

And the lights didn't come on.

"Huh." Jason stated as he flicked the switch a couple of more times. "Must have blown a fuse."

"Don't worry about it, we don't need lights tonight…" Lisa prodded, trying to get back to the smoochies.

"If I can't see, I'll keep running into things." Jason protested.

"You think you won't run into things trying to find the breaker?" Lisa posed. Jason stopped and thought for a moment.

"Guess you're right. Let's get back to…"

But Jason never got a chance to finish as a gloved fist crashed into his haw, sending him crashing back over the coffee table he had hit his shin on earlier. Lisa screamed as three more men clad in black came out of the bedroom and went to attack her and Jason, who quickly recovered from his fall and lashed out with his foot, slamming his dress shoe into his attackers shin, breaking the bone.

Lisa recovered from her shock in time to slam her fist into her attackers masked face, crushing his nose. As he screamed in surprised agony she followed up with a knee to the groin, then sent his doubled-over form crashing head-first into the wall behind her. She turned to face the second attacker, only to receive a fist to her face.

Jason saw his wife take the hit. "Lisa!" was the last thing he yelled out before the fourth attacker pulled out a gun and fired.

**Homeland Security Services Offices**

Andrew and Ann pulled in front of the HSS office a little after midnight.

"I just got to run in for a minute to grab some stuff, and then we'll be off." Kirk was saying to his wife as he stepped out of the Mustang. Ann smiled at her husband.

"Don't take to long." She said as he threw one last dashing smile over his shoulder and walked inside. Ann Got out of the car and walked around to lean on the drivers side door as she looked up at the building that housed both her husbands work place and their small apartment.

It was then that the building exploded in a violent flash of light and sound. The concussion blew Ann back over the hood of the car and into the street, as well as sending pieces of debris slamming into the car. The young woman struggled to her feet as the building continued to burn.

"Andrew?" Ann yelled out. She couldn't here her own voice; her ears were still ringing. "Andrew!"

"He can't hear you."

Somehow, Ann heard the voice over the ringing in her ears. She turned and saw a young, lithe woman standing in the middle of the street. She was garbed in black robes of some kind, and her piercing blue eyes were highlighted by her long, brown hair that was swirling in the wind caused by the fire.

"He can't hear much of anything anymore, I'm afraid." The girl said with an evil grin.

"Oh my god." Ann whispered. "Dawn."

**Midnight, Downtown Club**

James and Mike walked into Club 21 ready to drink hard and party harder. The Summers case had been hard on the whole team, and the night off was just to good an opportunity to pass up.

Mike went to get the drinks as James started making the rounds, hitting on as many girls as he could before his Irish friend could return and ruin his fun.

"James Pryce?" a gruff voice asked from behind him. James turned around with a grin on his face.

"Yeah?" he replied, and the gruff man promptly swung a nightstick, catching James in the jaw. The young British man let out a strangled cry as he felt his jaw break, and fell to the floor. The gruff man loomed over his fallen form.

"My boss it tired of your interference in his business. And since you won't drop the case, I get to drop you."

"Or I get to drop you, buck-o" an Irish voice said as a beer mug was smashed over the assailants head, spraying glass and beer everywhere. The man dropped like a stone, unconscious, and Mike stood behind him, grin on his face. "I cannae leave you alone for two minutes, you limey bastard."

"Shut up, you bloody mick." James mumbled as his friend helped him to his feet. Then he noticed his assailants' friends behind Mike-

All twelve of them.

All armed with clubs.

Mike saw the look on James' face and turned around to see the sight before him, then turned and looked back at James.

"Bar fight?" he asked.

James nodded. "Bar fight." He murmured, and the two wadded into the club wielding group.

**HSS Offices**

Ann looked at the girl in font of her, and mentally compared her to the picture she had seen in her husbands' file. Tall, lithe figure, long brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. Usually wore a friendly smile.

Well, she was smiling, alright. It just wasn't friendly.

Dawn looked up at the burning building in front of her. "He should have left my father alone. He should have left ME alone."

"Dawn…." The ringing in Ann's ears was starting to die down, and she started moving towards the young girl. "Dawn, we've been looking for you…your sister has been worried…"

"Like I CARE how that BITCH has been?" Dawn let out a scornful laugh and shook her head. "It doesn't matter anymore. She'll be seeing me tonight, if I know her. And I should know her; she's my sister after all." Dawn's eyes narrowed at Ann. "But I don't know you. Or your friends. I don't know how resilient they can be. So if any of them survived tonight, I'll be needing to send them a message."

"Dawn, listen to me!" Ann shouted as the young girl raised a hand towards her. "This isn't you…"

"Crucio." Dawn barely whispered the word, but the effects were instantaneous as Ann fell back against the damaged car, screaming in agony. Every nerve in her body felt like it was on fire and her bones felt like they were being extracted through her pores. _I wonder if this is what Dawn went through?_ She thought dimly as unconsciousness started to take her. Then she heard a voice.

"That's enough of that, darlin'."

The pain suddenly stopped, and the last sight Ann Kirk had before she passed out was of her husband walking out of the flaming wreckage of the HSS offices.

Andrew Kirk stepped over pieces of flaming wreckage towards the two women. His clothes were burned in places, his hair was singed, his face covered in soot. Nevertheless he walked steadily towards his fallen wife and her tormentor.

"Now really, Dawn." Kirk smirked, "did you REALLY think an exploding building would do me in? Hell, you would have had more luck handing me an anvil after walking me off a cliff."

Dawn inclined her head slightly. "I'm impressed, Mr. Kirk. Not a lot of people could survive that explosion. Must have done something wrong…"

"Oh, no. You did everything right." Kirk said. "I'm just too stubborn to die. No, how about we stop all of this foolishness and go on home?"

"Oh, I intend on going home tonight…" Dawn started, but was cut off when a voice suddenly yelled "FREEZE!"

Agent Frank Miller was standing at the end of the street, his Berretta aimed directly at Dawn. He was walking slowly towards the small group, never dropping his guard. Dawn rolled her eyes. "Not this shrub…" she muttered under her breath. Kirk's anxiety level rose.

"Miller, get out of here." He yelled at the FBI agent. "Get out of here NOW!"

"Shut up, Kirk!" Miller yelled back, still advancing. He was about twenty feet away now. "She just admitted that she blew up the building! She works for the Council! If you think for a moment that I can't get a warrant out of this, you are crazy. Now both of you, get your hands up, NOW!"

Kirk looked at Miller, then back at Dawn. The girl had a wicked grin on her face, and his stomach dropped as he realized what she was about to do.

"Dawn, DON'T!" he yelled, but it was too late. Dawn had raised her hands. The girl winked at Kirk, then looked back at Miller, who was only five feet away.

"Avada Kedavra." She intoned, and a bright green sphere of energy shot forth from her hands. Agent Miller didn't even have time to be surprised as the bolt of mystical energy struck him in the chest. He slumped to the ground, eyes open but unseeing.

Dead.

Kirk groaned and shut his eyes for a moment. He was disappointed- not in Dawn, but in himself.

_I should have been able to save him…_ he thought bleakly as he opened his eyes and looked back on Dawn.

"That… was a mistake."

"Is that a fact, Captain?" Dawn asked. Kirk mentally steeled himself. _She's going home tonight._

The Captain strode forwards towards the dark witch. "I'm taking Dawn home tonight, witch. And you, whoever the hell you are, are going to die."

Dawn smiled wickedly. "You're cleverer than you look, Captain"

"Better than looking cleverer than you are." Kirk replied as he formed a ball of energy in his hand and threw it at her.

"Thicken!" Dawn shouted, and the ball of energy paused in mid-air. "Repulse!" she shouted and the energy ball flew straight back at Kirk, who caught it in his hand. The young man clenched his hand, and the energy ball disappeared.

"Impressive. But not very imaginative. I would have thought that Calista would have taught you something more…ruthless."

"Well, I would stay and show you what my mistress has taught me, but…" Dawn motioned off to the end of the street, where flashing lights and blaring sirens could be seen and heard. She looked back to Kirk. "I'll enjoy gutting you, as a gift for the Dark Lord." The girl winked, "And my Mistress." With that parting shot, suddenly green flames surrounded the girl. She spread her arms as she seemed to lift into the air, her form shifting and changing until it reformed into the shape of a large flaming bird- a phoenix. With a great cry, the Phoenix suddenly burst into flames and disappeared into the night.

"Well…" Kirk said, looking up to the spot in the night sky where the Phoenix/Dawn had been only moments before, "That's something you don't see everyday." Kirk then turned his attention back to his wife as several fire trucks, police cruisers, and an ambulance pulled up to the scene.

TBC

A/N: Not to happy about the dialogue in this chapter, but I can't think of any ways to polish it any more. On to responses:

**smee( )**: I really did not know that; I always assumed that the child had to be of age before he/she could have a say in his/her fate. And I'm glad you enjoy the story- if you like this one, wait till you see what I'm going to do with Part 2. Though I have to say, I DO have a long-lost relative story in the works grinns sheepishly Hey, if it works...

**FallenStar2**: I'm glad you like Calista, cause she plays a rather large role in Kirk's past (something I plan to delve into in Part 2). And again I'm glad you like my OC- I try to make them as real and three dimensional as possible (the only one I'm never happy with is Mike, and he should be easy to write for me!)

Just an additonal note: I have this entire story written already, so you won't have to worry about updates. Well, except for the epilogue, I still have to finish that.

**Next Chapter**: The aftermath, and the grand plan revealed.


	7. Recovery

**Dawn of the Phoenix Chapter 7**

**Recovery**

Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.

**scifimimi**: Glad you're enjoying it. Here's another chapter for you!

Come on people, I need my reviews! Please? Hello? Bueller, Bueller, anyone...

**Chicago General**

The doors to the ER burst open in a flurry of activity as Andrew Kirk carried his wife in. A doctor rushed over to the couple.

"What happened?" he asked as Kirk put his unconscious wife down onto an empty gurney.

"Electrical shock, I believe." Kirk lied. What would he say, she was attacked by some kind of mystical curse? "She got hit by a live wire after our apartment exploded. The contact wasn't long, but…" he gestured to his wife. The doctor nodded.

"Alright, we'll help her out as best we can. I'm going to need you to fill out a few forms, ok?" Kirk nodded, so the Doctor gestured to the large man sitting behind the administration desk. "Just go over there, and the big guy behind the desk will give you what you need." Kirk nodded as the Doctor and some nurses rushed Ann off to a private room. Kirk sighed in frustration at the helplessness at the situation- _I can heal myself from just about everything, but I can't cure my wife from what happened to her._ He thought morosely as he got the forms from the big guy, whose name he found out was Clarence. He thanked him and moved to the waiting area, where he paused in shock when he saw the last sight he had expected to see-

Lisa, with a bandage on her face and wrist, sitting next to James and Mike, who looked even worse. And sitting next to them was Buffy, Giles, Xander, Faith, and Wesley. Kirk paused for a few moments before a small grin came to his face.

"I sure hope the HMO covers this." He said loudly to get their attention, which he noted he did when several pairs of eyes all shot up to his face.

"Kirk," Buffy said as she got up. He noticed she tried to hide a grimace of pain as she did. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Got blown up." He replied casually.

"Us too." Buffy responded. Kirk's eyes widened as he looked at everybody again.

"All of you?" he asked. Lisa shook her head.

"No, just the Council." She replied as she too stood. "Jason and I were attacked in our apartment. They managed to shoot him in the arm before I…dealt with them."

Kirk gave a grimace of his own. Lisa was one of the kindest, most caring people in the world. But she was also fiercely protective of her family and friends and, when someone threatened them, her viciousness in retribution was unsurpassed. _Except by me._ Kirk added mentally. He then looked back to Buffy. "How did you…"

"Survive?" the Slayer finished. "Willow. She managed to throw up a protective barrier just as the bomb blew the place apart, but the strain knocked her out cold. We brought her here to have her checked out, since it was closer than the Council building."

Kirk nodded, and then looked to his other two operatives. "And you two?"

James and Mike both looked at each other, before looking back at the Captain.

"Bar Fight." They both intoned, somewhat sheepishly. Lisa tried to hide a grin behind her hand as Kirk's eyes rolled heavenward.

"You got into a BARFIGHT?!"

"Well, I do think they were working for Hank Summers, so I don't think it was just a coincidence!" Mike shot back. "And what did you mean you were blown up?"

Kirk sighed. He wasn't looking forward to this. "Well, I got good news and bad news."

"The good news is that our office was blown up tonight." There were some cheers from Kirks group that Buffy just did NOT understand.

"The bad news was that it was Dawn who blew it up."

* * *

The Phoenix flamed back into existence a short distance away from the Council's campus. The bird quickly reformed into the young girl Dawn, and the girl quickly moved to kneel before her Mistress Calista.

"It is done, Mistress." She said tonelessly.

"He is dead?"

"No, but he will be too preoccupied to bother us tonight. And nothing could have survived Union Station."

"Oh, but they did, Dawn." Dr. Anderson said in a sharp tone that, despite her current mental state, still managed to make Dawn flinch. "I've just head over the police scanner. Several survivors from the station were taken to Chicago General. The only injury, it seems, was to a redhead, and she was only unconscious."

Dawn's brow furrowed. "Interesting. She must be more powerful than even I imagined." The girl shook her head. "Nevertheless, they will all be to busy to come back tonight."

"Indeed." Calista stated. She turned to face each person as she started to give orders. "Mr. Summers, you will proceed to the main control room and lock the building down. Also get any information on the Slayers that you can find, the Dark Lord wants everything he can get. Doctor, you will proceed to the room and tap into the ventilation system; if our plan doesn't succeed, the Slayers here will need to be taken care of. Dawn, proceed to the vault and retrieve the Scythe. And Summers," the dark witch turned to look at the petty human in front of her, "Make sure your men are prepared, incase any of them DO show up before we're done." And with that, they were off.

* * *

"What do you mean, Dawn blew up your office?" Buffy asked as the shock wore off some. Kirk smiled regretfully.

"Buffy, it was Dawn. Only it wasn't. There was something there…something almost tangible. Whatever Calista did to her…"

"What did that bitch do now?"

Kirk turned to face the young woman standing in front of him, a woman who, although she was only 8 years younger than him, he considered a daughter. He smiled wanly.

"Oh, the usual." He replied. "Brainwashed a young girl into become her own personal assassin, had her blow up her family and friends, our office, torture mom, kill an FBI agent…"

"WHAT!" Buffy gasped. She was suddenly having trouble standing, a fact that Giles saw and immediately leapt up to steady his slayer. The girl only shrugged.

"Well, it could be worse."

"HOW!" Buffy demanded, whirling around on the girl. "How the HELL could it be any worse?"

"She could be whoring her out, having her torture random people for fun, have her recruit more people for whatever cause Calista has fallen in with now…" she said, ticking each thing off on her fingers.

"And how would you know?" Xander asked bitterly.

"Because I was her a few years ago. I've done those things. I've whored, tortured, and I've killed. But believe me, if I could come back from it, she can."

"This is my daughter, Miriam." Kirk explained to everyone.

"Adopted." She clarified for some of those who looked confused, then turned back to her father. "How's mom?"

"She's fine. Out like a light, but fine."

"What did the girl use on her?"

"Some kind of curse…"

"Dawn was using magic?" Giles interrupted, concern clear in his voice. Kirk nodded.

"Yeah, and pretty powerful stuff, as well."

"What was the curse she used on mom?" Miriam pressed. Kirk thought for a moment.

"I'm not entirely sure, I was busy being blown up at the moment." He replied with some sarcasm. "But I think it sound something like…crucifix, or something…"

A look of dread came over Miriam's face. "Crucio?"

"Yeah, that's it." Kirk replied.

"And the curse she used on the FBI agent, was it 'Avada Kedavra'?"

"Yeah…"

"And did she have any kind of focusing tool? Was she holding anything?"

"No. Her hands were clear." Kirk replied slowly. "Mir darlin' what's going on?"

"It's like this." Miriam replied as she started pacing in front of the group. "There are three types of witches- Wiccans, like your Willow;" she gestured to Buffy. "She uses magic from the Earth and everything around her. Then there are witches who use focusing tools that let them use their own internal magic- I call them wand-wielders. The third type of witch, who are very rare, combine the two aspects. They have their own internal magic, but can cast without a focusing instrument. They can also call upon Earth energy to enhance their powers- this can make them incredibly powerful and incredibly dangerous. Some call them Vesticas, or Mages. Now, the kind of spells that this girl pulled off tonight are only usually done by the wand-wielders, and even then the curses are only used by the darkest of witches and wizards. The fact that she pulled them off without a wand proves that she is a Vestica. And the fact that dear old Calista has her claws in her tells me that, unless we can break her hold, we are all going to be very dead."

"Well, that's a cheery thought." Xander sighed, sitting back and rubbing his temples. "And an excellent example of that is the fact that she tried to kill us all tonight."

"Not just her, but Hank Summers as well." Lisa interjected. "Remember, the people who attacked Jason, James, Mike and myself were working for Hank."

"But why now?" Mike wondered. "Were we getting close? Did we almost find her?"

"I don't believe so," Giles responded, propping his head up on his closed fist in a thoughtful pose. "If anything, we were running out of leads on where Dawn was."

"Dawn's the girl?" Miriam asked. Kirk nodded.

"Ms. Summers sister." He responded, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Giles is right. No matter how much I want to believe we almost found her, we were no closer today than we were two days ago. Why attack now? What have we found out…"

Faith suddenly shot out of her seat. "The Scythe!"

"They're going to make a play for it tonight. And by tomorrow, they'll have an army of brainwashed Slayers at their disposal." Buffy swore, but Xander shook his head.

"No, they wont." He said. "After our discussion a few days ago, Will went back over the spell. She locked it down- no witch, no matter how powerful, will be able to break or alter it anymore- including Willow."

"Ok, so they won't be able to control the Slayers. The next logical thing for them to do, once they figure this out, is to kill the Slayers." Kirk said, but Faith shook her head.

"There's over 500 Slayers in the compound, Kirk." She said. "No way they got an assault force large enough to take all of 'em down…"

"Lockdown." Everybody turned to Wesley, who suddenly got up and started pacing. "If they can lock down the campus, the Main Administration Building would be completely isolated from the rest of the school. If they go in now, after curfew, they could have all of the Slayers trapped in different parts of the complex- easy targets to pick off."

"You think they'll blow them up?" James asked, but Wesley shook his head.

"Won't have to. The Admin building has a separate ventilation system from the rest of the compound. In theory, they could flood the barracks' ventilation system with any number of nerve agents and kill the girls."

"It won't be a theory." Kirk stated. "I have a feeling that who ever set these events in motion had to account for the possibility that the plan wouldn't work- he'd have a back-up plan that would probably include killing off as many of the Slayers as possible." Buffy nodded in agreement.

"Okay, so we have to get back to the Council ASAP. It's about a ten minute drive…"

"I can get there faster…" Kirk started, and Buffy turned to him.

"Can you take me with you?" she asked. Kirk nodded in agreement. "Alright then, me and Kirk will go back to the Council and try to stop my dad from killing the girls. Everybody else, find a vehicle and get there as soon as you can…"

"I'll go to this vault and try to stop Dawn. If I can knock her unconscious, Lisa and I should be able to undo whatever has been done to her mind."

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked, hope creeping into her voice. Miriam nodded.

"Yeah, we both have a lot of experience with it, especially if it was Calista who did it."

"Meanwhile Jason, I need you to head down to 1PP and get the rifle from Doc. You know what I'm talking about?" Jason nodded, and Kirk turned to Lisa. "You drive. If Miriam can't knock her out, the rifle will be the last shot we have, no pun intended."

"You got it, boss." Lisa said, then ran out of the ER with her husband in tow. Kirk turned to Miriam.

"Good luck, and be safe." He said. His daughter nodded before shimmering out.

"Xander," Buffy said, turning to her oldest friend, "I need you to stay here with Willow, in case she wakes up." The one-eyed man nodded before getting up and heading down to Willow's room. Than the Slayer turned to the rest of the group, who was all standing. "The rest of you, get three as soon as you can. I have a feeling will need all of the back-up we can get." She turned back to Kirk and grabbed his hand. "Let's do this."

"This is going to feel a little weird." Was all he said as the Captain and the Slayer shimmered out of existence.

TBC

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	8. Assault on Slayer Precinct 13

**Dawn of the Phoenix Chapter 8**

**Assault on (Slayer) Precinct 13**

Legal Disclaimer: The characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel are the property of Mutant Enemy and were created by Joss Whedon's brain. Joss Whedon may have had something to do with it, but I'm pretty sure his brain can take all of the credit. The 4 Horsemen, and all subsequent characters, are the sole property of MY brain. I created them, and I can kill them. I can even resurrect them because, in this story, I am GOD.

**Council Skywalk**

Inside the Skywalk that connected the barracks to the main admin building, Kennedy was futilely pounding against the 6 inch thick steel plate door that had slammed shut, effectively cutting off the Slayers from the nerve center of the Council.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!" Spike screamed over the alarm that was blaring around them as he raced up to the Slayer. "Why are we in lockdown?"

"I Don't…" Kennedy pounded on the door, "have…" She pounded again. "Any…" This time she kicked it. "Idea!" With a snarl, she gave the door one final kick, before finally leaning against it and admitting defeat. She then looked up to the bleached-blonde vampire. "I was going to relieve Vi in security when the door slammed shut and the alarms went off. Someone had to have triggered this from the control room."

"Vi?" Spike asked, but Kennedy shook her head in frustration.

"I don't think so. I tried contacting her, but she's not there. Doesn't have her walkie with her, either."

"So, what do we do? Is there any other way around?"

"Not that I know of." Kennedy replied to the vampire, pushing off the door. "This lockdown system was designed to keep the Slayers isolated, in case something bad happened. Guess this," she gestured around the hall to the thick door and the armor plating on the windows that sealed them in, "just proves that it works."

**Vault**

Vi silently crept down the hall towards the Vault entrance. About five minutes ago, the mystical alarms that Willow had put up around the vault had gone off, alerting Vi to a possible breach. The young Slayer had left so fast to check it out that she didn't even grab her Walkie-Talkie. So now, here she was- a young, slightly more experienced Slayer creeping down a creepy dark tunnel to face an unknown opponent, armed only with her favorite short sword that she called Betty.

Well, it was a better name than Mr. Pointy. At least to her, anyways.

She quietly made her way towards the vault door, where a lone figure stood, apparently none the wiser of her presence.

"Hello, Slayer dear."

Okay, so the figure WAS aware of her presence…

"Alright, whoever you are." Vi said in a confident voice that she hoped would mask her growing anxiety. "Step away from the door, and turn around. Or you'll be sorry!" she added.

To her amazement, the figure complied… and then she gasped when she saw who it was.

"Dawn?"

**Council Grounds, Outside**

Buffy and Kirk shimmered back into existence on the outskirts of the campus.

"Where are the main ventilation ducts?" he asked the Slayer. She pointed to the top of the Main admin building a short distance away.

"On top of Administration. One set if for the admin building, the other for the barracks. Each should be marked."

"I'll shimmer on up there and take a look." Kirk replied, then looked to Buffy. "Can you make it into the control room?"

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Just make sure my girls are safe."

"Roger that." Kirk said, then shimmered out. Buffy set a determined look on her face as she snuck up to the Admin building.

---

Andrew shimmered into existence on top of the admin building. Silently, he began creeping about, looking for signs of activity. And it didn't take him long to find it, and right where it was supposed to be.

In the middle of the roof sat the duel ventilation systems. And working silently on one of them was Dr. Anderson.

Andrew's eyes narrowed at the sight of the Doctor. Standing not ten feet away from him was the one that got away. Silently, Kirk vowed he wouldn't get away tonight. Kirk blinked…

And in a flash he was in thee middle of the jungle. Gunfire and explosions sounded off around him as he looked around in momentary confusion.

"Are you ready to be all that you can be, solider?" asked a voice in a light British lilt.

Kirk spun around to face the owner of the voice, and rolled his eyes in exasperation when he saw who it was. A woman in her early thirties with a tall, lithe figure, topped off by a wild mane of bushy brown hair. Her beautiful, if slightly aristocratic features on her face were lit up by the smile on her lips.

"Harvey, now is SO not the time for a conference call." Kirk yelled out over the explosions. "And where the hell are we?"

"We're in 'Nam, of course. And how many times have I told you to call me Helena?"

Kirk sighed in annoyance. "You are a fictional voice in my head. I don't care if you were the Duchess of York when you were alive, but as long as you're rattlin' around my brain, I call you Harvey. Now, what do you want?"

"I see you found Dr. Anderson." The witch's essence stated. Kirk nodded in reply. "You remember our deal?"

"Yes, no magic to kill anybody, including that son of a bitch, etcetera, etcetera…"

"Andrew, I know he is evil," Helena said, stepping up to the young Captain, "And I know he hurt Dawn, along with many other children, but there must be a way besides killing him…"

Kirk sighed again. "Look, I know how you feel about my line of work," he started, "And I know that you hate that I have killed. But I have honored my agreement with you- I have never used your knowledge or magic to kill. And if it were anyone else, I would simply apprehend them. But Anderson has done too much to too many people…"

This time it was Helena that sighed. "I know. Just promise me you won't…enjoy it…too much, ok?"

"You got it." Kirk agreed. "It will be quick."

Helena gave him a tight smile. "Then good luck, soldier. You're dismissed."

Kirk opened his eyes again to see Anderson still plugging away at the ventilation shaft. The entire conversation had taken place literally in the blink of an eye. He had been looking forward to toying with the good doctor, but a promise was a promise. His face set into a determined mask. Andrew Kirk stepped out of the shadows and raised his gun.

"Dr. Anderson."

The doctor froze at the sound of the voice. That voice. A voice he had dreaded ever hearing again. Slowly he turned around to face his worst fear.

"Reaper."

Kirk nodded his head slightly, acknowledging his old code name. He noticed the doctor slowly reaching for the controls on the device he had hooked up to the air shaft- undoubtedly that would contain the nerve agent to neutralize the Slayers.

"I was wondering if I'd ever have the privilege of seeing you aga-"

Dr. Anderson didn't even have time to react as Kirk raised and fired his Glock in a single smooth motion. His monologue was cut off by the 9mm bullet that ripped into his brain. He staggered back, then fell onto the roof, dead. Kirk exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"There, you happy Harv?" he muttered to himself as he set about disconnecting the device Dr. Anderson had so carefully constructed. "I didn't even banter with him. Now, let's get this thing shut down…"

**Council Building**

Buffy silently crept inside the building, keeping to the shadows as she made her way towards the security control room. What she saw chilled her.

Dozens of armed soldiers stood in HER Council Admin building, guarding the unconscious bodies of the few workers who were manning their stations so late at night. From their gear, she guessed these were the Special Forces employed by Wolfram and Hart.

Quietly she made her way up to the second floor, and reached the entrance to the security control room when a voice inside stopped her in her tracks.

"Tell the Dark Lord that Dawn is nearly into the vault. We will have the Scythe momentarily." Her father's voice paused, and then continued. "An as soon as we have it, would you be so kind as to dispatch the good doctor?"

"Of course, Mr. Summers." A female voice replied. "Just make sure your men on loan from Wolfram and Hart are ready to take care of any intruders." Buffy ducked out of sight quickly as the woman her father had been talking to swept out of the room towards the study down the hall. Quickly, Buffy shit into the room and slammed the door. Her father spun around to face his very pissed off older daughter.

"Hi, Dad…"

**Vault Door**

"So, how's my favorite Slayer doing?" Dawn asked sarcastically.

Vi was dumbfounded as she stared at her Watcher. "Dawn, what….how…. what's going on?"

Dawn chuckled darkly. "Always were a bit slow, weren't you, Vi?"

"Dawn, what's going on her…" Vi started, but was cut off as Dawn raised her hand and muttered "Crucio."

Vi screamed in agony as the pain of the curse ripped through her body. She slammed back against the wall behind her, then fell to the ground twitching and screaming. Dawn smiled evilly.

"That's right, Slayer-o-mine," she said. "Scream for me." Dawn held the torture curse on the fallen Slayer for a few minutes before suddenly lifting it. Dawn watched as Vi struggle to get to her feet.

"D..Dawn…why…." she struggled to get out. Dawn openly laughed.

"You still don't get it, do you, Slayer. My lord will rule this world. And there will be no place in his new world for weak fools like you." And with that, Dawn brought her boot down on the middle of the Slayer's back as Vi tried to get up. She could hear the crunch as the vertebras in her back broke. Vi cried out weakly, and then the pain was to much and she mercifully passed out. Dawn smirked as she gazed upon the broken form before her.

"My charge, I'm so…disappointed.Guess we should have spared more." With that, Dawn turned her attention to the vault door, and the prize behind it. The young witch passed her hand over the door.

"Alahmora." She muttered, and then smiled as the door swung open…

To reveal Miriam right behind it.

"Hey there, kid-o" she said with a smile. "Wanna dance?"

**Security Control Room**

"Buffy!" Hank exclaimed as his eyes darted around the room, looking for a quick way out even as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I live here." Buffy replied, her voice cool and face devoid of any emotion. Only her eyes gave away the anger within. "I work here. I TEACH here. No, the question is what are YOU doing here? Going Scythe hunting, perhaps?" Buffy saw her fathers eyes widen in surprise. "Yeah, I know what you're planning. I know how you're using Dawn. I KNOW what you DID to Dawn. How could you, you bastard? How could you do that to your own DAUGHTER?"

Hank scoffed and raised his chin defiantly. "That THING'S not my daughter. She's not even HUMAN! She's just some ball of mystical energy forced into a human form. Oh, yes," Hank said as he took in Buffy's shocked expression. "I know she was The Key. So does my master. Why do you think I chose her, huh? Because I knew that she could be made into a witch powerful enough to control you and all of the freaks just like you."

Buffy's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, well you're about to see what happens when you piss off a couple of hundred of us 'freaks.'

Hank laughed. "What? Are they going to bang against the walls or something? You all did too good of a job making sure that you could seal them in!" Suddenly an alarm blared, causing Hank to spin around and look at the monitors momentarily, before turning back to his daughter. He gave another chuckle. "Oh, so your friends survived? You think they can take down 60 trained and heavily armed special forces? Or maybe you think that they can free the Slayers? Buffy, sweetie, you of all people should know that the only way to open the doors if from in he-"

Hank was cut off as Buffy suddenly leapt forward, knocking the gun out of her father's grip with one hand, and delivering a right cross with the other that spun him back around towards the monitors. Swiftly she grabbed the back of his head and slammed him down on the console, which had the added effect of ending the lockdown protocol. She then threw Hank into the opposite wall, where he crumpled to the ground.

"Okay dad, let's bond." Buffy said as she stalked towards her prey.

**Lobby**

Colonel Teers was bored. He knew that him and his men only had to make sure the main building was secure from any outside threats, and that the supposed Slayers were trapped safely behind the thick steel door that he was guarding. Still, he was a man of action, and he was seriously wishing for some right now.

So of course, that was when the door behind him slid open, to reveal a rather large group of pissed off Slayers, led by a Latina with a crossbow. The Latina let the bolt rip from the crossbow, and it promptly buried itself in the Colonel's leg. He let loose a scream of rage and pain before Kennedy swung the crossbow in a wide arc that caught Teers in the side of his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Let 'em have it, girls!" she shouted.

"Hey, I'm NOT a bloody girl!" Spike shouted back as he waded into the group of Mercs that came running to aid their boss. Kennedy was about to reply when suddenly the glass doors below them exploded inward, the shower of glass preceded the flying form of the Merc that had shattered it. Suddenly Wesley stepped into the room, cocking his shotgun.

"Sorry we're late…" he said as he let another blast loose from the shotgun, taking down another Merc. "Feel free to kill these bastards; they work for Wolfram and Hart."

"My kind of party." Mike said as he let loose on another Merc.

The Slayers were making quick work of the remaining Mercs, even as Wesley and the rest of the backup crew went to work. Faith turned to her Watcher.

"I need to get to Buffy before she does something stupid." Was all she said before she ran off towards the stairs that led to the second level, clotheslining another Merc on her way up.

**Vault**

"Who the hell are you?" Dawn asked, staring at the stranger in front of her. _And how the hell did she get into the Vault?_

"Oh, forgive me. I'm Miriam Kirk. You know, you tortured my mom and blew up my dad? That Kirk?"

Dawn smirked. "Oh, so that was YOUR mother I was torturing. You know, she screamed like a stuck pig? Wonder if it runs in the family…" Suddenly Dawn raised her hand. "Crucio."

Miriam waved her hand in front of herself. "Finite." The spell evaporated into thin air. Dawn's eyebrows hit her hairline as Miriam smiled. "Not the only witch here that can do that, sweetheart."

Dawn tilted her head to one side in consideration. "Okay." She said. Then suddenly she launched herself at Miriam, tackling the older witch into the wall behind her. Miriam mentally threw her off, sending her crashing into the opposite wall. Dawn's head snapped up, her eyes boring holes into the other's witches. Miriam looked back with equal intensity.

"Well," Dawn said as she stood up straight once more, "This should be interesting."

**Security Control Room**

Hank's head smashed through a monitor, making it the third one Buffy had sent her father's head through. Buffy pulled out the limp mans head and sent it into a fourth monitor, causing blood to splatter back onto her face. Buffy pulled him out and sent him crashing back first into a wall, where she stalked up to him and held him up by one hand around his neck.

"You will never," She hit him across the face. "Touch," she hit him again, "her," she hit him again, "again!" One last punch sent him into a heap on the ground. Calmly, Buffy strode over to where her father had dropped his gun, a .38 revolver. The elder Slayer picked up the weapon and quickly checked to see if it was loaded. Seeing six bullets in the chamber, she turned back to her fallen father, who was vainly trying to get to his hands and knees. He weakly looked up, only to see his daughter pointing his gun at him.

"You've hurt too many people this time, Dad." Buffy said calmly, evenly. She didn't see the shape darting in through the door as she cocked the gun. "And I will NOT let you hurt anyone else."

And with that, Buffy fired.

TBC

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Happy Chanukah! Happy Kwanza, etc.For you, an early chapter. Don't worry, the next chapter will be up on Wednesday like usual.

So I was going to have the whole fight scene in one chapter, but this was too good an opportunity to pass up a break. See you back again soon!

**Gatemaster** and **waynej**: I'm honored that you added me to your favorite authors list; it tells me that I must be doing something right;) Hope you like the next chapter, and dotry, just as much.

**Anonymous**: Ask, and ye shall recieve. We got magick, and action, and there will be more to come. Indeed the next two chapters will be chock full of both. And I try to keep my stories as close to cannon as possible- this is why I could never write a story based in, say, Book 3 of HP or season 4 of Buffy, and why Willow will always be a lesbian in my stories- I can't go back. And on that note, I can't wait to write ANGSTY Harry.

Next chapter will be up on Wednesday, as usual. As a side note, I've been reading a lot of straight HP fanfiction, and I've noticed one thing- Ginny sure does seem to get ubducted alot. Hmm.....


	9. Assault on Slayer Precinct 13 Part 2

**You know, I can't remember if I put these things before or after the story anymore. Porbably shouldn't be updating at 1 in the morning...**

**Anonymous:** I guess I'll have to go back and clarify this- Raven IS Miriam. She was born Miriam Winters, christened Raven by her mother when she became an assassin, then renounced that name when she sided with Kirk. This will be further explained in the next story, comming soon to a near you! As for the rest of your questions:

1)Yes, Dawn will be keeping her powers, and she will be able to do Wand-based magic. She will NOT apparate, however. Her method of teleporting is slightly different due to the nature of her magic, and it will be discussed further in the next 'Book'. Heh. I like that. Book. Hmmm... 2)I'm affraid you will have to wait to find out who the third descendent is. I got a big reveal planned for Book two. And 3) Sorry, only once a week. And for a good reason, too- I have only two more chapters in this story, and I really need to polish the epilogue up. So, only once a week. And expect a lag between this story and Book two- I'm REALLY behind on my writing.

**Gatemaster:** I might take you up on that offer for the next story, though I am unsure now if I really want a Beta. I know it will help, though, so I will consider it. Hope you are enjoying the show!

**Saphrine**: Glad you are enjoying it. Hope you like this part as well!

And one with the show!

**Dawn of the Phoenix Chapter 9**

**Assault on (Slayer) Precinct 13 (Part 2)**

The shape that had darted in through the door suddenly slammed into Buffy just as she fired, sending the shot wide. Buffy regained her composure quickly, though, and swiftly brought the gun to bear on her attacker-

Faith.

"B, you gotta stop this!" she shouted at her sister Slayer. "You can't kill him!" Buffy gave a short laugh.

"Why not?"

"Because he's human!" Faith replied, eyes shifting between the Slayer and the gun.

"He's barely human. He had his own daughter kidnapped and tortured, and for what? Money? Power? What was the price, dad?"

"It's not justification for taking a human life!" Faith shot back. Buffy bristled angrily

"HE HAD MY BABY TORTURED!"

There was dead silence as Faith took that in. "Buffy," Faith started, using her full name for once, "Dawn's not your kid, she's your sister…"

"I know that!" Buffy shot back. "But those monks made her from ME, Faith. And I'VE had to raise her since mom died. She's as good as my daughter. She's the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter. And he stole her from me." Buffy whirled around and stalked slowly back towards her father, who was crawling towards the door. "He came in here and took her away from the only family she's ever known, and for what? I want to know, you bastard." Buffy punted him in the ribs, sending him crashing back against the wall even as Faith shouted at her to stop. Buff walked up to her father and put the gun to his forehead.

"Give me a reason, father." She said coolly. "Give me one reason not to blow your fucking brains all over the wall."

"I'll give you a reason." Faith said as she started walking slowly towards Buffy. "You kill him, I take you down and have you locked up. And then we get Dawn back, and she's got no real family left to help her heal. How's that for a reason?" Buffy faltered for a moment, and Faith raised her hand towards her, reaching for the gun. "Buffy, I've been down this road before. And I don't want to see you go down it. Buffy, please…give me the gun."

Buffy looked back and forth between Faith and her father. Her finger tightened on the trigger…

"Please, Buffy. Don't become me."

And with that, she dropped her arm, her finger going slack. Deflated, defeated, Buffy handed the gun to Faith, who took it and immediatelypistol-whipped Hank with it.

"Now, how about you answer some questions for us, Hank? Like who are you REALLY working for?"

"I…can't tell you that!" Hank protested weakly, then chuckled when Faith cocked the .38. "You wont kill me."

Faith smiled slightly. "You're right." Faith then moved the gun over and down a few inches and fired. The bullet tore through Hanks upper left arm before embedding itself into the wall behind him. Hank screamed in pain and surprise. "But that doesn't mean I won't pump you full of holes if you keep dicking around with me. Now, who are you working for?"

Hank struggled to his feet again. "This….is torture…." He gasped out as Faith re-cocked the gun.

"Yeah. And I'm good at torture. Just ask Wes."

"Or me." Buffy added, coming to stand next to Faith with her arms crossed, a determined expression on her face. "She can be VERY good."

Hank looked between his daughter and the dark Slayer next to her and realized that there was no way out of this one. _Besides,_ he thought, _As soon as Dawn gets the Scythe, they'll be working for him anyways…_

"Fine, I'll tell you who it is. Doesn't matter, anyways- you'll probably be meeting him, soon or later. His name is V-"

Hank's explanation was suddenly cut off by a bright green flash that struck the man dead center in his chest. His face only had a brief moment to register surprise before he fell to the ground, dead.

"Son of a…" Faith said, looking down at Hanks corpse.

"Bitch!" Buffy spat out, looking at the doorway, where Calista stood, her hand outstretched from having cast the killing curse. The dark witch smirked.

"I've been called that, and worse, for years, Ms. Summers. I thought you would have come up with something more original. Expeliramus." With a flick of her wrist, Calista sent the .38 flying from Faiths hand, who let out a startled gasp. "You two aren't worthy of hearing our Dark Lord's name."

"Yeah? And you aren't worth the air you're breathing. You were the one who did all of this to Dawn, right?"

Calista grinned evily. "That's right, Buffy. I corrupted your 'little girl'. And I have to say, she was disappointingly easy to break."

Buffy seethed. "I'll show you a few things about breaking."

"Please. I'd have you broken and beaten before dinner.

"Just watch out for that indigestion."

Three heads turned towards the sound of the voice- and in walked Kirk from the opposite door, gun at his side and a grin on his face.

"Hey Caly," Kirk gave a little wave with the gun, "How is the gut, by the way?"

Calista snarled. "Still smarting from the sword you put there, bastard."

"Yeah, well considering I WAS trying to kill you, you should be grateful. And you should also hope my aim is better this time around so you're not in too much pain."

"You wouldn't dare." She scoffed. "The council never takes a human…"

Calista was cut off as Kirk raised the gun and fired. The round went into Calista's belly, causing her to stumble out of the room, before going over the railing. Kirk ran out of the room and looked over the railing- but Calista's body was nowhere to be seen in the carnage below.

"God damn teleporting bitch! I SWEAR I'm gonna kill her one day!" The captain turned back to the two Slayers that were staring at him in shock. "You two okay there?"

Faith shook her head in disbelief. "Did you just miss my ENTIRE speech to Buffy on why we don't kill people?"

"You don't; I do." Kirk replied, holstering his gun. "You two are Slayers, chosen to fight the forces of darkness and PROTECT the people, no matter how evil. Me, I'm a soldier, chosen to protect the innocent at whatever cost is necessary."

"But that didn't give you the right to try and kill her!" Faith yelled back. Kirk crossed his arms and looked back at the Slayer defiantly.

"That woman, Calista, tortured and brainwashed Dawn. The same woman helped train my daughter to be a killer, drugged, and brainwashed my wife, tortured, raped, then brainwashed one of my closest friends to kill me, tried to kill _me_ numerous times, and has generally been a pain in my ass for years. I'd say that gives me every right. Look, I make no excuses for what I do or what I did. But right now, let's concentrate on getting Dawn back. THEN you can crucify me."

---

**Lobby**

---

Wesley was walking through the lobby near a line of offices, checking around him for any more soldiers. As he scanned around him, he suddenly cocked his shotgun and fired into the door of the office next to him without looking. He gave a satisfied nod of his head when he heard the soldiers body collapse within the office, then turned back and walked towards the receptionist's desk just as Jason and Lisa walked in.

"I believe we got all of the soldiers." Wesley said as he joined the group in front of him. Kennedy nodded.

"We knocked out as many as we could find. To bad Illyria went clubbing tonight…"

"She did?" Wes asked. Gunn just shook his head.

"Don't know what's stranger- sweet little Fred going to a club, or Illyria going to a club…"

"Anybody seen Kirk?" Jason asked. "We got the package."

"Probably up in on the second floor." Spike said, looking towards the Security room. "I heard some gunshots coming from around that way earlier."

"He's up there, I can sense him." Lisa told the others as she closed her eyes in concentration. "Miriam is down near the vaults…" her eyes flew open, "and she's in trouble. Dawns down there as well, and she's not happy."

At that moment Buffy, Faith and Kirk joined them in the lobby.

"You got it?" Kirk asked Jason, who managed to heft the heavy case up onto the receptionists desk with his one good arm. Kirk walked over and opened it to reveal the weapon inside.

"What the hell is that?" Buffy demanded as Kirk pulled out the rifle and checked the settings on the side.

"This is a heavily modified P-90." Kirk explained as he pulled out what appeared to be a silver ammo clip and slid it into it's spot on top of the rifle, slamming it in place. "And when I say heavily modified, I mean HEAVILY. The gun has been altered to serve as a high-tech stungun. The ammo clip I just put in is a heavy duty, highly experimental rechargeable battery. The gun emits a highly-charge energy blast that disrupts the neural pathways in the brain, knocking the recipient out cold. It was designed for and tested on me, so I know there are no lasting ill effects, other than a hangover which, I assume, Dawn would prefer over her current state."

"You are going to shoot MY sister with that thing?" Buffy asked, eyeing the rifle. Kirk nodded. "Is it ready to go?" Kirk checked the setting on the modified P-90 once more.

"Yeah, it's ready. Lets-"

Kirk never got to finish his statement as Buffy suddenly grabbed the receptionists chair she had been holding on to and swung it around, smashing it into Kirk's head and knocking him down. Quickly she scooped up the pulse rifle and sprinted towards the door that lead down to the vaults.

"Buffy!" Faith yelled as she took off after her sister Slayer. Jason knelt down to help up Kirk, who was struggling to get to his feet.

"Damn…stubborn…"

"We should go after her." Wesley pointed out. "Kennedy, guard the soldiers, make sure they don't escape. Kirk, are you okay?" at the captains nod, Wes continued. "Good. You're with me. Lisa, Jason, Giles- let's go."

---

**Vault**

---

Dawn was good.

That's the thought that Miriam kept having as Dawn managed to counter every blow, every spell, every attack the older witch would throw at her.

It was annoying, in a way. In so many other ways, though, it made her proud.

"Shit!" Miriam ducked another curse the young witch threw at her. _Annoyed, but still proud._ Miriam thought. As she changed tactics and threw a right hook, which connected with Dawn's jaw. Then the girl did something unexpected- she moved with the punch, spinning around completely. As she completed the turn, she slammed the palm of her hand up against Miriam's chest.

"Crucio." Dawn snarled, and Miriam's world exploded into white-hot pain. She tried to scream, but couldn't get the sound to come out. Mouth open but silent, she collapsed to her knees.

"Pathetic." Dawn sneered. "Were you the best they had to offer? The one who would defeat me? Pfft. You aren't good enough to lick my boots." Still holding the crucatiux curse on Miriam, dawn brought her other hand up to Miriam's head. "See ya later, Witch."

"DAWN!"

Dawn's head shot up as Buffy skidded to a halt. Then she noticed the gun in her sisters hand and smiled.

"So, big sis came to kill me, did she? Dad's not going to be happy about that."

"Dad's dead, Dawn." Buffy replied. "He can't hurt either one of us anymore."

The smile on Dawn's face slid off, only to be replaced by a look of anger. "You're lying."

"She's really not, Dawn." Lisa said as she came into view behind Buffy. "Let us help you."

Dawn looked at her sister, than down at the still writhing from of Miriam. An evil smile came upon her lips.

"Than your friend will join him. Ava-"

Dawn never finished the curse as Buffy deftly brought the P-90 up and fired. The bolt of white energy slammed into Dawn, sending her crashing back against the wall behind her. The torture curse finally broken, Miriam collapsed into an unconscious heap. As Dawn struggled to get back up, Buffy, with tears in her eyes,firedonce more. Dawn went down, out cold.

Kirk ran down to the vault door and kneeled by his daughter, who was out cold. He checked for a pulse and found one, though it was weak. He then check Dawn for a pulse and found a strong one.

"I suggest we take the girls up to the infirmary now." Kirk said as he scooped his daughter into his arms. Buffy handed the P-90 to Lisa and went and picked up Dawn. "You should have Dawn strapped down, in case she wakes up. Once Miriam wakes up, we can go in and try to erase the programming in her mind."

Buffy nodded mutely, then looked down at the unconscious form of Vi lying a short ways away.

"We need to get her up to the infirmary, too. But I don't know if we can move…"

"I'll take her." Lisa said as she mentally lifted the Slayer's body into the air, careful not to move her to much. Suddenly the two forms seemed to glow brightly for a moment, before they disappeared in a flash.

"Should I even be surprised?" Faith asked as the rest of the group left the vaults and headed up to the infirmary.

READ AND REVIEW

-TBC


	10. Dreamscape

**Dawn of the Phoenix Chapter 10**

**Dreamscape**

Several hours later the Council was finally secure. All of the Wolfram and Hart soldiers were stripped of their gear, tied up, and locked into several of the specially designed holding cells. Faith said they should let Dana play with them, but Giles vetoed that plan.

In the meantime all of the injured were moved into the infirmary. There were several minor injuries form the skirmish- mostly cuts and bruises. The worst off was Vi- Dawn had somehow managed to break the young Slayers back, and the doctor said that she would most likely be paralyzed. He didn't know if her Slayer healing would be able to heal her back or not; as she had nerve damage due to the torture curse.

Miriam was fairing a bit better. Lisa had checked her over and said that they would be ready to enter Dawn's dreamscape in a few hours, once Miriam had recovered enough of her strength.

"Dawn's Farscape? What's that?" Buffy had asked. Lisa chuckled.

"Dreamscape, Ms. Summers." She had corrected. "Right now her mind has been altered by some advanced magicks, as well as torture. The self that is manifesting right now is the result of that. In order for us to find the real Dawn, we will have to enter her mind and, by proxy, her dreams. In those dreams of her unconscious mind, we should be ale to find Dawn's true self and bring it back."

And so Lisa and Kirk found themselves waiting while Miriam meditated, as she tried to gather her strength for the coming battle of the minds.

"You know, it's kind of fitting, in a way." Miriam said as she came out of her trance. Kirk yawned and looked at his daughter.

"What is?"

"That Dawn of all people nearly managed to kill me. And you, for that matter."

"Why would you say that?" Kirk cracked his neck, trying to work the kinks out, but Miriam's next words froze him in place.

"It's just that it would be fitting to be killed by something we created."

---

**Library, Dreamscape**

---

"HARVEY! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE, NOW!"

Kirk stalked through the library, peering in between each stack, looking for his mental companion. "HARVEY!" he yelled again.

"Yes, Andrew?" Helena said as she stepped out from behind the librarians' desk. Kirk stalked up to the woman.

"What did Miriam mean, Harv? Did you create Dawn?"

Helena shook her head. "No, we did not create Dawn." She stated. "If you recall Buffy's explanation of her sister, you would know that the Monks created Dawn from Buffy."

"Yeah, I got that part. So what did she mean?"

"We created the Key."

Kirk stood there in shock. "What?"

"Andrew," Helena began, sitting down at one of the tables in the large room, "Many years ago, the three of us were very powerful, and very knowledgeable. You know this, right?" Kirk nodded, and Helena continued to explain. "A time came when we decided to seek knowledge in other places, places outside of this world. So we created the Key. With an amulet I created to focus its power, we used the Key to open portals to other dimensions, other worlds. We gained knowledge and power, and helped those who asked for it along the way. The Key was to be, in a way, our means of ascending to a higher plane of existence."

"What, you were going to open a portal to heaven or something?" Kirk asked. He suddenly had a very funny mental image of the three ladies prancing about in a field of sunflowers singing "We are as gods!" Helena shook her head.

"No. We had hoped that by obtaining as much knowledge as we could, and by using that knowledge to help people, that one day we would join the goddesses in their realm and help look after this world."

Realization dawned on Kirk's face. "You wanted to become a Power That Be."

Helena smiled and nodded. "But when the Dark Wizard came after us, we realized that we could not let the Key fall into his hands. So we gave it to an order of monks to protect. Then Glorificus came after it, than the Order of Dagon."

"And now me. And Miriam." Kirk added as an afterthought. "That's why I've been so invested in this case, isn't it? Because you helped create the Key, and now you feel the need to protect it. And by default, so do I."

"That is true, but to your credit a part of you wishes to protect the girl because it is the right thing to do; not just because I want you to."

Kirk nodded, then stood up. "Right then, I guess I better get going. People to save, demons to exorcise, you know."

"Good luck, Andrew. Bring her home safe." Helena said with a warm smile.

Kirk grinned. "Of course I will," Kirk's grin widened, "Harvey."

"It's HELENA!" the woman shouted as Kirk vanished from the library. "Bloody American. Of all of the people to be bonded to…" She muttered as she went back to her books.

---

**Infirmary**

---

Kirk blinked to clear his vision, then looked at his daughter, who looked back in concern.

"Are you okay, pops?" she asked as she pulled her long dark hair back into a ponytail. Kirk nodded. "Yeah, just having a conversation with Harvey." He noticed the cross expression on Miriam's face. "What?"

"Why do you call the woman who continually keeps you alive and marginally sane Harvey?" she asked.

"Invisible sidekicks who only I talk to are called Harvey, Mir. From now until she FINALLY gets out of my head. Now, can we get going?"

* * *

They gathered around Dawns bed- Lisa to the left, Miriam to the right, and Kirk at the foot of the bed. Eyes closed, breathing steady, the Trinity prepared to enter Dawn's mind. A short distance away, Buffy and company stood watch, ready to jump in if anything went wrong.

"Good luck." Buffy whispered. "Bring her back safe."

---

**DREAMSCAPE**

---

The three found themselves on a rocky cliff overlooking the ocean, which looked black in the darkness that surrounded them. They turned around, only to come face to face with a large imposing castle. The spires of the building seemed to stretch on forever into the dark, cloudy sky.

"Well, that certainly looks imposing, now don't it?" Kirk quipped. The ladies both looked at him, then rolled their eyes.

"I bet dollars to donuts that Dawn is in there somewhere." Miriam said as she strode towards the doors.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have any problems finding her then, now will we?" Lisa replied sarcastically.

The three reached the door, and Kirk tried to open them. The door didn't budge.

"Whoever set up shop in here put up some good…" Kirk's statement trailed off as Miriam put her hand to the door, and it swung wide open. "Never mind." Kirk finished lamely, then gestured forward. "Ladies first."

Lisa and Miriam snorted at him, but entered. Kirk brought up the rear and drew his saber, ready for anything. He knew from experience how treacherous the dreamscape could be, and how dangerous mental defenses could get.

The three wandered through the halls of the castle.

"This is a hell of a construct." Lisa remarked, "Especially for one young girl."

"The girl can turn into a PHOENIX." Kirk replied. "So if this was built to hold her, it would have to be this big and imposing to hold her. However, I don't think that's what this is."

"Than what is it?"

"A mental representation of wherever the guy pulling her strings is. His-or her- lair." Kirk stated.

"I concur. This is too detailed for some random mental construct.And I'm starting to think Dawn's mind wasn't altered- it was hijacked completely." Miriam stated, then paused in her tracks. "Do you hear that?"

The others paused and listened, then heard what Miriam was talking about- a woman's screams.

"Dawn…" Kirk said as he took off down the hall, the two ladies following closely behind. They came to a door near the end of the hall that was slightly ajar. Carefully, Kirk peered in to see what was happening. What he saw chilled his bones.

A young girl was strapped, spread-eagled, to a table in the room. She was bruised, but most of them were covered up by the blood that was welling out of dozens of cuts that were all over her body. She was surrounded by nearly a dozen men, all dressed in black, hooded cloaks and silver masks that hid their faces.

All but the one who was busy raping her.

Kirks blood boiled at the sight as the man, with his long, platinum blonde hair flailing about finished up on the young girl, who couldn't be any older than 16. Finally finished, the man pulled up his pants.

"Not bad- for a mudblood. But I've had better." He said sarcastically as the girl pleaded to be let go. "Oh, don't worry, you'll be leaving soon." The mans grin widened as the hope that had flared in the girls eyes swiftly died as he pulled a wand out from it's hiding place in the base of his cane.

"No…you promised you'd let me go..." the girl whimpered, but the blonde man just smirked.

"Yes, I did. Guess what?" the blonde man grinne evily. "I lied. Avada Kedavra."

Kirk screamed in rage as the killing curse took the girls life. Without thinking twice he rushed into the room and swung his sword in an ark, aiming right for the killers head.

It passed right through with no effect, and then Kirk passed through the blonde man, as well as the table and the body that lie on it.

"We can't affect them here, Andrew." Lisa stated plainly, obviously trying to let the events she had just witnessed affect her. "The only thing we can do is nail the guy whose showing us this."

Kirk looked at Lisa, then back at the blonde man, memorizing his face. He took a glance around the room- almost everybody else had a mask on, save for one other, who stood in the corner and let his greasy black hair cover most of his face. He took note off all of the other men around the blonde man, slapping his back and shaking his hand, laughing and shouting 'Welcome back, Lucius!' Finally, Kirk rejoined his companions as they walked back out into the hall and proceeded to the large door at the end.

"Okay, we'll go for a stealth approach…" Lisa started, but was cut off when Kirk suddenly reared back and slammed his foot into the door, kicking it open.

"Hey honey, we're home" he shouted as he strode into the room, leaving Miriam with a determined expression on her face.

"Or not…" the young woman said as she strode in behind her father. Lisa, silently fuming, brought up the rear.

The room was large, with high ceilings and windows. Its one dominating feature was the throne, which towered over the three would-be rescuers. The only other thing present in the room was a small cage, barely large enough to hold a chimp- but in that cage was Dawn, bunched up, filthy, and shivering. She had a wild look in her eyes that made Kirk wonder if there was any intelligent thought left in the girls own mind.

"Well, this certainly is interesting." A voice hissed from on top of the throne. "Dream walking is supposed to be a lost art. And yet, here there are three. Tell me, what do you seek?"

"We seek Dawn Summers. YOU should seek some sort of dentist to have some corrective surgery on your mouth. Help eliminate that hiss." This time the voice really did hiss, and suddenly the darkness that covered the throne parted as the voices owner made his way down. He was dressed in regal looking black robes, with a hood covering his face. The face seemed to be obscured still in darkness.

"Great, it's the freakin' Grim Reaper." Miriam said in a bored tone as the man in black made his way down from the throne. Subtly she got out her weapon, dual daggers, with long, curved blades that were intricately carved..

"Looks more like a Nasgul to me," Lisa added, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. The three suddenly saw that they were not alone, shapes were moving in the periphery of the room.

"I was thinking more along the lines of Anubis, only with cornier dialogue." Kirk finished, not bothering to hide his actions as he withdrew his second saber. "You two wanna tackle Darth Sidious while I get Dawn out?"

"Sounds like a plan." Miriam responded as she launched herself at the man, slashing at where the man's face would be. Lisa moved to follow as suddenly the figures came out of the shadows. The were tall, thin, and hooded like the man in black. They all had skeletal hands, and just being around them made Lisa's blood curdle. Nevertheless, the witch withdrew her sword and attacked the figures, cutting them down.

Lisa was nearly at the man in black when he suddenly produced a wand and muttered a spell. Lisa's blade impacted with a shield just inches from her intended target. Momentarily caught off guard, the man muttered another phrase and swished the wand in her direction, causing her to fly back and hit the wall.

"If that's how you want to play it…" she muttered as she raised her own defensive shields, just in time to deflect another curse. Without another moments pause, she attacked.

Kirk made his way to the cage that held Dawn (or her conscience mind, depending on your point of view.)

"Hey kid," Kirk said as he hacked another robbed creature to pieces, "this isn't a bad time, is it?"

"Wh-h-h-o are y-y-y-ou?" the girl stuttered, terrified. Kirk took another quick look at the girl, and smiled.

"My name is Andrew Kirk, and I'll be rescuing you today."

"HEY!" Lisa yelled out in indignation.

"WE'LL be rescuing you today." Kirk quickly recovered. "Just as soon as I get this door open…"

Kirk tried prying open the door with his blade, to no avail. Then he tried kicking it. Nothing. Next he conjured a sledgehammer out of thin air and tried breaking the lock.

"Damn, this is quality cage-manship." Kirk muttered. Then he considered the situation.

Dawn was a prisoner in her own mind. And while most of it was due to the big bad Man in Black, it couldn't be all him keeping her in. Especially since Miriam had him on the ropes. No, part of the reason the door couldn't be opened, Kirk reasoned, was because Dawn didn't want it open.

"Dawn, listen to me sweetie." Kirk said calmly, oblivious to the battle around him. "I can't get this door open without you. You have to want to leave the cage, do you understand? You have to WANT to get out."

"I don't want to get out." Dawn whispered back, eyes darting around the room. "I killed them all. I don't want to get out…"

Kirk's brow furrowed in confusion, then realization struck him. "Dawn, did the big, bad…uh, Big Bad tell you that you killed your sister and your friends?" Dawn nodded hesitantly, and Kirk shook his head. "No, you didn't. They're all still alive, and waiting for you to come back."

"But I killed that cop, I SAW that!" Dawn frantically whispered back "You can't tell me he lied about that!"

Kirk shook his head again. "No, I can't. All I can say is that, at the time, he was driving, not you."

"ANY TIME, KIRK!" Lisa yelled, fending off more of the robed creatures.

"Dawn, listen to me. Buffy has risked everything to get you back. I promised her I'd come in here and get you back for her, and I intend on doing just that."

"But he'll hurt me again." Dawn whimpered. Kirk gave her a warm, yet determined smile.

"No, he won't. Because now I'm here to protect you. Me, Lisa, Miriam- we'll look after you, I promise. You just have to trust me."

"You promise not to let him hurt me?" she asked, hope sparking in her eyes.

"I give you my word." Kirk replied. "Now, what do you say we blow this popsicle stand?"

* * *

"You are skilled, for one so young." The man in black remarked, as he continued to parried her blows. Miriam pressed on, grin on her face.

"Yeah, you're not so bad yourself. You know, for an evil guy."

"You have much power. I could give you even more if you were to stand at my side."

"I don't believe this. I'm trying to kill you, and you're PROPOSITIONING me? What kind of sick freak are you?"

The man in black deftly knocked the kinvesout of her hands with a quick spell, then backhanded her. The blow sent her sprawling onto the floor. He then pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing the admittedly handsome young man underneath. He had a thin, chiseled face, framed by dark hair. His eyes were a piercing grey. Miriam thought he looked all of 18, and had a hard time believing that this was the guy in charge.

"So…. do your parents know about your little hobby here?" she asked, and got a sneer in return.

"Filthy woman, you of all people should know about the rules of the dreamscape. I am far older than I appear."

"Bet you're uglier, too." Miriam added with a smirk as she rolled back to dodge a blow from the man's sword. "Got a name, sunshine?"

"Do you, mudblood?"

"Miriam Kirk, at your service. But you may call me Raven." Miriam called her knives back to her hands and took a swipe at the man's head. He blocked.

"And you may call me Lord Voldemort."

Miriam paused, then tried to stifle her laugh. She failed. Miserably.

"You have GOT to be kidding me." She choked out. "THAT'S your name? What happend, your parents loose a bet or something?"

Lord Voldemort screamed in rage as he attacked her once more.

* * *

With some encouragement (as well as brute strength from both Kirk and Dawn,) the cage door finally opened. Voldemort saw this, and screamed in anger. "Do NOT let her escape!" he shouted. This distracted him enough that Miriam managed to land in a good, strong blow that sent him tumbling to the ground. Lisa set forth a burst of magical energy that blew the robed creatures away from her, and the three warriors, along with their charge, made a break for the door. The four ran at breakneck speed down the hall, which seemed to be lengthening itself to prevent their escape.

"The hallways getting longer!" Lisa screamed.

"No shit!" Miriam responded. Kirk took a look behind him and saw Voldemort and his robbed henchmen running after them. Then he looked back ahead, to the door that seemed so far away.

Then he noticed the window that was shortly up ahead on the left, and he saw a clear view of the cliffs outside.

"All hands, turn to PORT!" he yelled, scooping Dawn up in his arms and racing towards the window. Without a second thought, the Captain jumped backward through the window, landing hard and rolling with the momentum. He sprang up to his feet and set Dawn down, checking her for injuries.

"You okay there, darlin?" Dawn mutely nodded as Miriam and Lisa joined them a few moments later. With a gesture, the windows off the castle were sealed, and the doors were barred.

"Ain't nothing' getting out of that for a nice, long time." He said. Dawn didn't seem to share his optimism, however.

"But it's still here." She pointed out. "And as long as it's in my mind, HE'LL always be here, waiting to take me again, won't he."

Lisa looked at the girl with compassion in her eyes. "As long as this fortress exists in your mind, you will always be at risk."

"But who said we were going to let it exist?" Miriam added.

Suddenly a squad of Apache attack helicopters rose from behind the edge of the cliff, the downwash of the blades making the girls hair fly wildly. And as Kirk started humming "The Flight of the Bumblebees", the choppers let their missiles fly, blowing the fortress to pieces.

"I LOVE THE SMELL OF NAPALM IN THE MORNING!" Kirk yelled as the fortress was reduced to rubble, finally freeing Dawn of any further threat of mental imprisonment.

---

**Azkaban**

---

Voldemort suddenly shot up in his throne, his mental connection terminated. He slammed a fist down on the arm of his throne.

"Damn!" he cursed. He had spent considerable time and energy on the Summer's girl, as she had been an integral part of his plans. Without her, or her latent powers, he would have to find another way to get his ever growing forces into that blasted school.

He was close. So close to destroying his enemies. All that remained now was to build up a strong enough force that he could attack the school and kill all of the filthy mudblood's and muggle-lovers that resided within it. That, and the matter of the prophecy. Though thanks to his recent...acquisition... he knew that it was only a matter of time before he learned its secrets. Just a few more days, and the prophecy would finally be his. and then he would finally be free to act, and the entire Wizarding world would tremble. Voldemort smiled at that thought, then clsoed his eyes in concentration. Soon it would be time for Nagini and the rat to pay the wolf one last visit, and he needed to prepare his mind to enter another's once more.

---

**Dreamscape**

---

The four stood before the smoldering wreckage of the fortress on the cliff. The choppers had long since vanished, giving them absolute peace and quiet. Kirk turned to Dawn.

"It's time." He said simply, and nodded to a doorway that had appeared out of nowhere. "Someone wise once said: 'I can show you the door, but you have to walk though it.' I have no freakin' clue who said it, but it fits for the moment." Kirk chuckled, then looked at Dawn once more. "We'll give you some time to pull your thoughts together, so to speak. And when you're ready, just go through that door."

"We'll be waiting for you on the other side." Lisa said, as the three disappeared, leaving Dawn alone to collect her thoughts.

---

**Infirmary**

---

Kirk, Lisa, and Miriam slowly opened their eyes in perfect synchronization.

"Okay, that's just creepy." Xander said from the doorway, where he stood with a recently released Willow. Buffy leapt out of her chair and went up to Kirk.

"It she okay?" the Slayer asked, eyes darting between Kirk and her sister.

"She'll be fine." Kirk answered. "If she doesn't wake up in a few minutes, we'll go back in and convince her to come out."

"What do you mean, 'convince her to come out'?"

"We have shown her the door. It's up to her to walk though it." Lisa said calmly, trying to dissuade Buffy's fears. The Slayer turned around sharply to face her.

"You know, I hate it when you talk in riddles!" she said sharply.

"Actually, she's being quite literal." Miriam said. Buffy was about to respond when suddenly Dawn's eyes fluttered open. At once the elder Slayer was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her hand and caressing her cheek.

"Dawn? Dawnie?" she said in a hushed voice.

"B-buffy?" Dawn stuttered back, her eyes filling with tears. Buffy nodded.

"I'm right here, sweetie." She replied as she pulled her sisters head to her shoulder as the young woman started to cry.

---

**Later**

---

Buffy exited her sisters room quietly, so as to not wake the troubled girl. Kirk was leaning against the wall across from the door.

"How is she?" he asked quietly.

"Terrible." Buffy replied, but then added with a small smile, "But she'll get better. She's strong."

Kirk nodded in agreement. Buffy smiled warmly at him.

"I want to thank you, Captain…" she started, but Kirk held up his hand to stop her.

"You don't need to. Seeing her here, safe, and with her family is thanks enough. And you can call me Andrew."

Buffy nodded. "Alright…Andrew," she said, trying out his first name. "Can I just call you Kirk? We already have an Andrew and he's, well, a dork." Kirk chuckled, but nodded in consent. "Anyways, I was talking to Giles, while you were doing your whole mind-trip dealy, and we both decided that, since the Council is in part responsible for the loss of your offices…"

"Really, we don't mind that much!" Kirk exclaimed good-naturedly. "We all HATED those offices!"

"Nevertheless, we want to extend an invitation for you to set up your offices at the Council."

Kirk was taken aback. That was the LAST thing he had expected to hear. "You want to hire us?" he asked, not entirely sure about what she was getting at. "You ALREADY hired us!"

"Not exactly," Buffy explained. "We have a lot of space that is going unused right now. We could give you some of that space to set up your own offices in, and you could keep your autonomy."

"I'd never except that, Ms. Summers." Kirk quickly interjected, then pressed on at her downfallen look on her face, "If you were to give us this space, I'd have to insist that we pay rent for it. I won't just take it as a gift."

"Well, there were two other reasons for this that I was getting to." Buffy said.

"And they are?" Kirk queried.

"The Old Council had lots of contacts in several governments. Since we've started rebuilding, we've worked to re-establish those ties. But it has been slow going."

"And you think that, since we have governmental ties, we could help pave the way for the Council to re-establish their ties with the government?" Kirk finished. Buffy nodded.

"That's about right." She said. Kirk smiled.

"My relationship with my government contacts at the moment is somewhat…strained," he said, struggling to find the right word. "But you have my word that I'll do whatever I can to set things in motion for you."

"We would all really appreciate that." Buffy said.

"Now, what was the second reason?"

"Dawn." Buffy said simply. "She has a kind of power that we are completely unfamiliar with. Even Giles and Wesley, who've been around magic, haven't heard of it. We need somebody to help train her in how to use and control the power she has now, and you-"

"Miriam would have to teach her." Kirk interjected. "She has the experience, the power, and the knowledge. And I'm sure she would agree, if I asked her. I also assume you'll want help in protecting Dawn in case these robed guys, or this Voldemort, tries to make another play for her?" Buffy nodded. Kirk extended his hand almost immediately. "Then Ms. Summers... Buffy... you have a deal." Buffy smiled gratefully as she shook his hand excitedly.

"Of course, I'll need BOTH of my hands if this deal is going to work." Kirk said wincing at the power Buffy was putting behind her shake. Buffy dropped his hand almost at once.

"Oops." She replied sheepishly.

---

**Still Later**

---

Dawn had cried for a good forty-five minutes, with Buffy holding and rocking her all the while. Kirk and company had made a discreet exit to give the sisters some privacy.

Later, after all the crying, the hugging, and the welcoming backs had been taken care of, Dawn lie in her bed, resting. She had tried to sleep, but every time she had closed her eyes, she was assaulted by images of what she, or rather the thing in her head, had done. She had just admitted defeat in getting any sleep and was getting dressed when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Quickly she finished pulling on her shirt and fastening her jeans.

"Come in." she said quietly, and Kirk, Lisa, and Miriam entered the room. Miriam raised an eyebrow at the dressed girl in front of her.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

"I was going down to the Ancient Translations department to see how much work I've missed." Dawn replied. Miriam shook her head in amusement.

"You know, I think since you were kidnapped, tortured, and brainwashed and all, the Council will give you a little vacation from work."

"Plus the fact that I've heard Giles say he's taken over your workload while you were gone." Kirk added. "Enjoy the rest while you can."

"Rest? WHAT rest?" Dawn demanded, whirling on the Captain. "I tortured your wife, your daughter! I tried to kill my friends! I KILLED a man! How the HELL can I get any rest after that?"

Kirk cocked his head slightly at the question. "You just do." He finally answered. "Accept what happened, that you had no control over the situation. Never forget it, but don't let it rule your life."

Dawn gave a small 'harrumph' as she considered that. Finally, she looked back at the group and spoke.

"So," Dawn asked, "What happens now?"

"Now you hug your sister and begin to pick up the pieces." Lisa stated, putting a comforting arm around the girl. Dawn looked over at her.

"You won't arrest me?" she asked, a hint of fear in her voice. Lisa chuckled.

"I think not, Dawn. There were plenty of extenuating circumstances around the death of Agent Miller."

"Yeah, you being possessed and all kind of takes away your part of the blame." Miriam said, joining her sister witch and putting her own arm around Dawn. The young girl sniffled from between the two witches.

"I still feel responsible. I still feel to blame…"

"If you didn't feel a little responsible, I'd be worried." Kirk stated as he came to standing front of her. "The actions carried out by your body were not of your mind. Never forget that. But at the same time, you got to realize that you just didn't have the skill to repel the kind of attack that this guy, or Calista, for that matter, launched on your mind. You couldn't stop them no matter how much you wanted to."

"Believe me; I know how bad it can be." Lisa remarked.

"You got a lot of power now, Dawn. And there are a lot of bad things out there that will want to use that power to their advantage."

"And believe ME, we know all about that, too." Miriam quipped.

"We, and by we I mean their ancestors," Kirk pointed to the two witches on either side of Dawn, "made a promise long ago to protect the source of your power. That protection, naturally, now extends to you."

"What do you mean, the 'source of my power'?" Dawn asked, suddenly wary.

"Why we mean The Key." Miriam said, causing Dawn's jaw to drop.

"How…"

"We created it, long ago. Before the Monks, before the Knights, even before Glorificus, we created The Key as a way to travel to other worlds, to broaden our knowledge, so that we may use that knowledge to help people." Miriam explained.

"Before we were…defeated, we took the Key to the Monks for safe keeping. I believe you know the rest of the tale." Lisa added.

Dawn was dumbstruck. Out of all the things that had happened to her, both recently and over the years, the last thing she ever expected was to meet the beings that created her. Or, rather created the very thing that she was made out of. Suddenly Dawn was very frightened.

"What do you _really_ intend to do with me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Protect you, like we said we would." Dawn's eyes shot up at that, and Kirk continued. "Look, Dawn, what they created thousands of years ago is nothing like you are now. They created a mystical device to open portals. The Monks managed to put that into a living, breathing human girl. A girl who has thoughts, feelings, even memories- never mind that none of them were real; in the beginning at least. They couldn't and wouldn't harm you in any way to get the key back, for any reason whatsoever. And neither will we. For above all else, teh fight to preserve life whenever possible."

"However," Lisa continued, "you have a great deal of power in you. Power that you never knew you still had, and powers that you never knew existed. These powers could destroy you unless you learn how to wield them properly."

"So we propose this," Miriam concluded, "we are a lot alike, you and I. We can wield both Wiccan and Wizarding magic. But while you are just learning about all of this, I have been at it for a while now; and Diana has been at it much longer. So I will train you, if you like, on how to control and use your abilities for good things."

"And we'll keep you safe." Kirk added, motioning between him and Lisa. "Plus, Buffy has offered to put my team and I up in the Council building, so we'll be close by if you need anything."

Dawn looked at the three with tears of gratitude in her eyes. "You'll really look out for me?"

Miriam gave the girl a hug. "We promise, Dawn. No matter what happens, we'll look out for you."

"Yeah, we always look out for our own." Kirk said, giving the girl a hug of his own. Dawn sniffled and let out a small snort of laughter. "I'm one of you?" she asked bemusedly.

"God help you." Lisa quipped with a roll of her eyes, and the three laughed.

"Welcome to the family, kid." Miriam said witha smile. "Hope you survive the expierence."

And with that laugh, the healing had begun.

Finite

READ AND REVIEW!!!

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

That's right kids. I got one more chapter comming, where we'll see a bunch of old faces- Wormtail, Lupin, Dumbledore, and possibly Harry. All I got to do is writre it, so hopefully it will ba out on time next week. Sorry for the delay this week, but I procrastinated. Hey, at least I'm honest.

I also want to clear up one thing before it becomes a thing- in Book 5 (Order of the Phoenix), the Gryffindor Quidditch team gets two new beaters- Jack Sloper, and Andrew Kirke. I swear to all that is holy that I named my guy Andrew Kirk (with NO 'E') YEARS before Book 1 even came out. Though I was highly amused when I read OOTP and saw that.

**Black Rose9**: If you thought this was good, wait till you read the sequel. You'll have to wait a while, but it will blow this story away. Glad you enjoyed it!

**Gatemaster**: I really wanted to write a full-fledged magical duel, but like many things in this story, it was easier thinking them up than it was to write them down. I do hope to do a lot better in the next story.

Only one more chapter for this story, then a few weeks off as I try to write the next story. I have it all planned out, I just need to write it. So get ready for **Harry Potter and the Light Brigade**, comming soon to !


	11. Secret's RevealedEpilogue and Acknowledg...

**Azkaban**

When Voldemort finally called the Dementors back to his service, he gained more than just powerful allies. He also gained the fortress of Azkaban, and all the souls trapped within. Most of those souls- mostly the Ministry employees, and those who didn't want to join the Death Eaters - went straight to the Dementors. All the rest swore allegiance to Lord Voldemort and joined his ever swelling ranks. As for the prison itself, he turned it into his castle. A few new wards, a modified Fidelius Charm… and now, the only people who could find it were his loyal servants.

And his servants…my, how they were growing. While he was somewhat upset to loose many of his most loyal supporters at the Battle of the Ministry, his mood was improved by the sheer amount of dark creatures his other servants were able to recruit. And the numbers just kept growing.

His only loose end, at the moment, was that thrice-damned prophecy. He had already punished Bella for letting it get destroyed, but that satisfaction wouldn't get him its secrets.

But now he had something that would.

And so Lord Voldemort found himself walking down towards the cell that held all of the answers he needed.

* * *

Remus Lupin had lost all track of time. 

He wasn't sure how long it was ago now, but he had been on a mission for the Order when he had been ambushed. He knew why- Voldemort was after the Prophecy. He knew it, too. Sirius, knowing that there was a good chance he wouldn't come back, told him shortly before the Battle that claimed his life. Sirius had wanted to make sure that someone would be there for Harry when he learned about it, and Remus had swonre he would be there.He also swore that he wouldn't give it up to anyone, especially Voldemort.

Remus knew that even if Voldemort got his hands on him, he would try to pry the prophecy out of his mind. But he had been practicing Occlumency for years now, and the wold inside him provided an extra layer of protection against mental intruders. He knew that his mind was secure, and that nothing Voldemort threw at him would pry the secret from his mind.

But that was before they locked him in this infernal cell. Before Wormtail, his 'friend', paid him nightly visits where he beat him with his silver hand. Before they posted Dementors outside his door, which made him re-live the hell his life had been ever since James and Lilly had died. Now he knew that his mental discipline, even strengthened by the beast within him, was at an all time low.

The door opened, and in came Wormtail; once more with a sick smile on his face. He made a show of flexing his silver hand, as if working out the kinks before he brought it down upon his former friend. Silver was deadly to Remus, as it was deadly to all Werewolves; but the small contact he gained from the hand every night only made him sick. He knew that if the beatings persisted, enough silver would build up in his system and he would die But he strongly suspected that he'd be dying soon anyways, as he finally saw the man who destroyed so many lives enter behind him.

"Well." Remus rasped out. "Lord Voldemort himself. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Wormtail backhanded him with his silver hand.

"Silence!" his old friend shouted. "You are not worthy enough to say the Dark Lord's name!"

"Careful now, Wormtail." Voldemort admonished. "I still need him conscience to answer my questions."

"Take your questions and shove them up your arse, _my lord."_ Remus spat back. Voldemort chuckled at his defiance, then whipped out his wand and pointed it right at the werewolf. "Legilemens!" I

If Voldemort had tried this trick a few weeks ago, there would be a very strong chance that Remus could have blocked him out. But after weeks of Dementors, and beatings, and silver poisoning, he just didn't have the strength anymore.

Images flashed through his mind- _laughing with Sirius, James, Lilly and Peter as James attempted to use his new Muggle barbeque…visiting Lilly and James in the hospital shortly after Harry had been born…teaching Harry how to cast the patronus charm…spending Christmas with his friends in the Order…Sirius telling Remus that if he didn't make it, Harry would need someone to help him through the difficult times ahead, telling him about the prophecy… **The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…Borne to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…**_

Lord Voldemort ended the curse and his serpentine-like face contorted into what could pass for a smile. After all this time, after all the effort, after everything the Potter brat had put him through- he finally knew the secret that the old fool had tried to keep from him. And he could finally rise… and the Wizarding world would be his…

"Can I kill him now, Master?" Wormtail pleaded, a maniacal glint in his eyes.

"You have done well, Wormtail. Assisting in my re-birth…bringing this- _thing,"_ he indicated Remus, who was still slumped on the ground, " and getting me the prophecy I've so desperately craved… something my darling Bella couldn't even do. So take your reward, Wormtail. Kill your old friend."

The man formerly known as Peter Pettigrew slowly stalked towards Remus, who was pushing himself up on all fours.

"I've been looking forward to this for so long, Remus… so long… none of you never thought I was good enough, or talented enough… but now, I'm the last of us left... and I'll be beside the worlds most powerful wizard as he takes this world for us all…"

Remus laughed bitterly. "You always…were a fool…Peter…" Remus gasped out as he fought to look Peter in the eye. "You…fancy yourself…to be a … Dark Lord, do you? Well, I hate…to break it…to you, old friend…. But there is only one Dark Lord-" Remus managed to stand up, and look Peter in the eye. "And he does not share power."

With a snarl, Wormtail threw a vicious punch at Remus, the sliver hand catching him right under the jaw. The impact was so great that Remus was thrown back against the window at the far end of the cell, which caused the shutters to shatter, and suddenly the room was filled with a bright light…

"Wormtail, you fool!" Lord Voldemort shouted...

* * *

**Number Four Privet Drive**

And Harry Potter awoke with a start, his hand clutching his still-burning scar. He managed not to scream- his Uncle Vernon hated when he screamed at night. In fact, the last time a nightmare had awoken Harry, Uncle Vernon had threatened to chain and gag the boy to his bed, 'just to shut him up.'

So Harry didn't scream. He didn't call out, he didn't moan. But he couldn't stop the tears that were rolling down his cheeks, or the silent sobs that were escaping his lips. This had been the first vision he had had since Voldemort had sent him the false one about Sirius, which had cost his godfather his life. But he had no doubts about the validity of this vision. No, Voldemort may have sent him this vision, but it wasn't to trick him into rescuing Remus. It wasn't even to trick him into going after Voldemort himself by showing Harry where he was. No, there was only one reason why Voldemort sent him this vision-

To gloat.

Voldemort now knew the prophecy. The last thing holding him back from declaring open war on the Wizarding World was gone, and now he would come out into the open. And Harry would be a prime target.

Reluctantly, Harry pulled himself out of bed and grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill from his trunk. He knew that Dumbledore should be notified immediately, but he wasn't sure how much he should put into the letter. The secret may be out, but that was no reason to throw caution to the wind. After a few moments to clear his head, Harry put the quill to the parchment.

_Dear Professor,_

_REMUS IS LOST._

_**HE KNOWS.**_

_-Harry_

With that, Harry rolled up and sealed the parchment, then attached it to Hedwig's leg.

"Take this to Dumbledore, girl. And hurry!" he whispered as he opened the window. Hedwig gave Harry a little nip with her beak, then flew off into the night. The letter on the way, Harry closed the window and laid back down on the bed, and cried once more as he mourned the passing of the last of the Marauders.

_To Be Continued…_

Some quick review responses…

**Gatemaster**: I'm not offended in the least. I love all my reviewers, be they one timers, or frequent flyers. And I am glad that you have enjoyed the story- it means I'm doing something right.

**Kiwifruit03**: She was acting a bit weak and scared, wasn't she? Well, put yourself in her shoes: she's been kidnapped, drugged, tortured, brainwashed, fed large doses of dark magic, AND she was held captive in her own mind by none other than Lord Voldemort himself. Wouldn't YOU be a little scared and weak if that all happened to you? And keep in mind that this happened over a span of nearly a month- a time lapse that I, unfortunately, didn't convey all that well.

Well, thus ends Dawn of the Phoenix. I hope everybody enjoyed seeing a strictly Harry Potter chapter for once, and it should lead in nicely to Book two, which will be entitled _Harry Potter and the Light Brigade_. Things you can expect:

Dawn and Miriam as students at Hogwarts.

Buffy and Faith teaching Muggle Defense

Faith's official (as told by Whedon himself) last name!

More magic!

More adventure!

More history!

The Golden Trio!

All this, and SO much more!

I have this story almost completely planned out in my head, and it should be a doozy. I don't mind in saying that it has been heavily influenced by the MANY other stories I have read on this site, though I will not steal anything outright. But I will give credit to where credit is due, so let me please thank the following authors for their inspiration, while at the same time sending you over to their stories. While a lot of them have inspired or influenced me in some way, all of them are very good reads. Here is, as I call it, The List:

**Fallenstar2**- This author has influenced my story more than any other author, save one- Her writing style, storytelling, and lots have all been superb, and it was she that sold me on the Draco-Dawn pairing. So while you wait for my lazy ass to post, go read her stories- they're worth it

- Harry Potter and the Slayer's Crusade

- Harry Potter and the Aurora Mirabilis

- Where Will You Go

- Where You Have Been

- Dance

**AngelEyes52**- Wrote some vbery good stories that made good use of Original Characters, an had an interesting plot to boot. Go read these stories:

- Harry Potter and the Staff of Vigor

- The Fine Line Between Love and Hate

**Angelic** **Demon16**- Talk about making good use of OC- this author has taken it to a whole new level. Death, rebirth, vampires…one of the coolest AU stories I've read yet.

- Moonlit Nights

**Beck89**- a brilliant author (number three on the top five for me) who needs to update more. Expertly integrated Buffy into Potterverse with little to no fuss, and has given me plenty of inspiration.

- The Youngest Evans

**DragonKatGal**- Good lord, how do I start on this one? Brilliant stories, cohesive plots…the only thing she needs to do to improve is update more often! Check these out:

- Forbidden Past

- Seduction by Darkness

- House of Black

- A Murder's Daughter

- A Witch's Family

- A Wizard's Slayer

- And so many more that I haven't even read yet!

**Elsawriter**- Another excellent writer. I enjoyed the following stories immensely:

- Redemption

- Redeemed

- Closer to the Darkness

**Halric the Harmless**- Started a brilliant story, can't wait for the enxt update. Check it out and catch up!

-United they Stand

**LavenderBrown**- I cannot begin to praise this writer. Her stories were so good, it felt like reading the real books 6 & 7. Not only that, there was true continuity from the past books, and all characters were treated just how they should be treated. It will take a while to read, but I urge EVERYONE to check these out:

- The Book of Morgan Le Fey

- The Final Reckoning

**Lilguji**- Just read the story. It's to good for words:

- The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets

**Lisette**- Number 4 on the list. Just a brilliant writer whose stories DEFINITELY influenced Dawn of the Phoenix, especially the torure of Dawn. Read these stories, they're worth the time.

- Twist of Fate

- Racing with Destiny

- Sacrifice Par Amarth

- Equinoxium- a Lord of the Rings crossover

**Melindaleo**- Another set of stories that read almost like official books. Gives these a try-

- Harry Potter and the Power of Emotion

- Harry Potter and the Curse of the Damned

**OloEopia-Merlin**- Just read these stories. Have I steered you wrong yet?

- Harry Potter and the Galator

- Harry Potter and Fait Accompli

**Ringo's Wildrose**- Coming in at number five…

- Dumbledore's New Army

**The Reader of the Books**- Some AWESOME, heart wrenching stories. Give these a try, for some none-crossover goodness-

- Harry Potter and the Hidden Power

- Harry Power and the Fortress of Shadows

**The Gramarye**- Go read this story as well- it has some excellent story-telling in it!

- The Summer of Our Discontent

**Anoron**-A Brilliant Author that ties for second in my book. And since it's my book, it can. READ THIS STORY-

- The Key to Marauding

And there were so many more… Go over to TTH and look for 'A Drop in the Ocean' and it's sequel, 'Snake Charming by **Echo**. 'Anywhere You Go' by **Sonja**. 'The Eighth Weasley', by **Fyre** (and whose story is on hiatus. Give her an e-mail, encourage her to continue! Never mind! She's updating, and it's also on ), And Finally-

**Malli**- Never before have I been so affected by the death of someone I didn't know. She was a brilliant author, a gifted storyteller, who was cut down in the prime of her youth. Her story, never completed, has been reposted by **Dur'id the Druid** for all to enjoy, and many authors are trying their hand at completing it (just check the link on **Dur'id's** authors page. As a lot of you can tell, I used a piece of **Malli's** story in mine. It was not meant as theft, but rather as a tribute, so that some of her may live on in the fiction we write. Corny, but true.

- The Phoenix Child

There are so many more great stories that I have bookmarked, or that have influenced me in some way. These are but a few of those, and only a handful really influenced my stories at all. The rest are just good read;)

I will start posting 'Light Brigade' when I have some chapters written. Untill then...

Till we meet again, I have but one thing to say.

Don't go away angry,

Just go away:)

Peace and love and all that shit.

-Drew Niehaus

The Nature Boy

Stylin' and Profylin' since 1980


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